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A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S SUMMER 
HOLIDAYS 











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The Fish was Served on Pieces of Driftwood 






A DEAR LITTLE 

GIRL’S SUMMER 

HOLIDAYS 






AMY E. BLANCHARD 






PHILADELPHIA 

GEORGE W. JACOBS COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 








Copyright, 1911 
By Gbobge W. Jacobs & Co. 

Published August, 19 li 




All rights reserved 
Printed in U. 8. A. 


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CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

I The Invitation ....... 1 

II The Arrival 21 

III Miss Eloise 45 

IV The Porch Party 69 

V The Little Bungalow 94 

VI In the Fog 117 

VII A Sailing Party 140 

VIII The Fire . 164 

IX To Boston 187 

X The Bazar 212 

XI Old North Church 237 

XII Home Again 261 




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ILLUSTRATIONS 


The fish was served on pieces of drift- 
wood Frontispiece ^ 

FACING 

PAGE 

“I know where there is a cave,” said Louis . 110 
The little girls went flying across the sands . 152 *' 
Edna, Jennie and Dorothy all sat together . 190*^ 


1 


I . 




• I 


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A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S 
SUMMER HOLIDAYS 


CHAPTER I 

THE INVITATION 

It was a very warm morning in June. 
Edna and her friend Dorothy Evans were 
sitting under the trees trying to keep cool. 
They both wore their thinnest morning 
frocks and had pinned their hair up in 
little pug knots on the tops of their heads. 
They had their boxes of pieces and were 
trying to make something suitable for 
their dolls to wear in the hot weather. 

^Ht’s too sticky to sew,” said Dorothy, 
throwing down her work. ^‘Marguerite 
will have to go without a frock and sit 
around in her skin.” 

1 


2 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


‘‘You mean in her kid/’ returned Edna. 

“Well, isn’t kid skin?” asked Dorothy. 

Edna laughed. “Why, yes, I suppose 
it is, and Ben says we are kids, so our skin 
is kid skin. Oh, dear, it is hot. I wish 
I were a fish; it would be so nice to go 
slipping through the cool water.” 

“Yes, but it wouldn’t be so nice to be in 
a frying pan sizzling over a fire.” 

“I feel almost as if I were doing that 
now. There comes the postman, I won- 
der if he has a letter from Jennie. AYe 
promised one another we would always 
write on blue paper because blue is true, 
you know, and that looks as if it might be 
a blue letter the postman has on top. I’m 
going to see.” 

“I’ll wait here,” returned Dorothy. 
“It’s too hot to move.” 

She sat fanning herself with the lid of 
her piece box, watching her friend the 
while. Once or twice Edna stopped on 


THE INVITATION 


3 


her way back, and finally she began to 
dance up and down, then ran toward 
Dorothy, calling out, ^^Oh, there’s a lovely 
something to tell you. Oh, I do hope it 
can come true.” 

‘‘What is it?” cried Dorothy, roused 
out of her listlessness. 

“Just listen.” Edna sat down and 
spread out the letter on her knee. 

“ ‘ We want you and Dorothy to come 
down to make me a nice long visit. 
Mamma is writing to your mothers about 
it and I do so hope you can come. I shall 
be so awfully disappointed if you don’t. 
Oh, Edna, we shall have such fun. I can 
scarcely wait to hear.’ ” 

“Do you suppose our mothers have 
their letters from Mrs. Ramsey?” asked 
Dorothy now as much excited as Edna. 

“Do let’s go and see,” returned Edna. 
“We’ll go up and ask my mother first be- 
cause that will be the nearest and if she 


4 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


has her letter your mother is pretty sure 
to have hers.’^ 

All thought of the hot sun was for- 
gotten as they sped across the lawn to the 
house, and two little girls with hot faces, 
panting as they came, burst into the room 
where Mrs. Conway was reading her let- 
ters. 

‘^Oh, Mother,’’ began Edna, ^‘did you 
get a letter from Mrs. Ramsey?” 

‘‘Mrs. Ramsey? Why, I don’t know. 
I will see in a moment. Just wait till I 
have finished this from your Aunt Kutty.” 

It seemed incredible to Edna that any 
letter should be of more importance than 
Mrs. Ramsey’s, and the two little girls 
danced around so impatiently that Mrs. 
Conway finally put down the sheet she 
was reading and said, “How warm you 
children look. Do sit down and cool off. 
I never saw such little fidgets.” 

^‘We ran all the way from the oak 


THE INVITATION 


o 


tree,” explained Edna. ^‘We were in 
such a hurry.” 

wonder your faces are red. You 
are such an impetuous little somebody, 
Edna. You shouldn’t forget that mother 
has so often told you not to run in the hot 
sim.” 

^‘But we did so want to hear about Mrs. 
Ramsey’s letter,” replied Edna anxiously. 
How could her mother take things so 
coolly. 

‘‘Is it so very important, then?” 

“Oh, Mother, it is so exciting we can 
scarcely stand it till we know.” 

“Then there is nothing to do but relieve 
the strain,” said Mrs. Conway laughing. 
She turned over the letters at her side. 
“Let me see. This is from the dress- 
maker, and this one from cousin Grace. 
This must be it.” She opened the letter 
with what seemed to the children a great 
lack of haste, and began to scan the lines. 


6 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


two pairs of eager eyes watching her the 
while. Ah, now I begin to imderstand, ’ ’ 
she remarked as she turned the page. 

‘‘Well,’’ said Edna breathlessly. 

“Wait a moment, dear.” And Edna 
was obliged to be patient till the last line 
was reached. 

“Oh, Mother,” said the child plead- 
ingly, “you are going to let me go, aren’t 
you?” 

“Why, dearie, I shall have to think 
about it a little. I can’t say just on the 
instant, and I shall have to see what youi* 
father thinks about it.” 

“But, Mother, won’t you say that 
maybe I can? That will be better than 
nothing at all.” 

Mrs. Conway smiled. “I think I can 
venture to say that much or even a little 
more. I can say that I should like very 
much to have you go.” 

“Goody! Goody!” cried Edna clap- 


THE INVITATION 


7 


ping her hands. ‘^That is almost as if 
you said I really could. I had a letter 
from Jennie, Mother, and she is just crazy 
for us to come. You know Dorothy is 
invited, too. Y^ould you like to see Jen- 
nie’s letter?” 

^‘Very much.” 

Edna promptly handed over the blue 
envelope, and was not disappointed to 
have her mother say, ‘‘That is a very nice 
cordial letter, Edna,” and I am very sure 
the invitation shows that both Mrs. Ram- 
sey and Jennie really want you. I will 
talk it over with your father this evening. 
Now run along, and don’t exercise too 
vigorously this warm day, and don’t for- 
get what I said about being in the sun.” 
She returned to her letters and Edna with 
Dorothy left the room. 

“Now we must go to my mother,” de- 
clared Dorothy. 

“Yes, but we must walk slowly and I 


8 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


think we had better take an umbrella,’’ 
returned Edna, fresh from her mother’s 
advice. 

‘‘All right,” said Dorothy, “I think it 
would be better, for there is that long 
sunny stretch along the road, though the 
rest of the way is shady.” 

They set forth talking eagerly. “Don’t 
you think it sounded as if I might go?” 
asked Edna. 

“iWhy, yes,” replied Dorothy, “only I 
don’t see how we can wait till evening to 
know.” 

“Do you believe your mother will say 
j)ositively that you can or that you 
can’t?” 

“I think she will say just what your 
mother did; that she will have to talk to 
papa about it, but — oh, Edna, I know 
what I shall do.” 

“What?” 

“I shall ask mother if she can’t tele- 


THE INVITATION 


9 


plione in to father and find out, and if she 
says she can’t take the time to do it, I 
know Agnes will.” 

‘‘What a lovely idea!” exclaimed Edna. 
“I shall do that very same thing as soon 
as I get home.” 

“And if he says yes, you can telephone 
over to me.” 

“That’s just what I’ll do. Oh, isn’t it 
exciting r’ 

In spite of their determination to walk 
slowly, they covered the ground very 
quickly and in a few minutes had reached 
Dorothy’s home. “Where’s mother T’ 
cried Dorothy as she came upon her sister 
who was sitting on the back porch. 

“She has gone over to Mrs. MacDon- 
ald’s,” Agnes told her. 

“Oh, dear,” said Dorothy despairingly, 
“just when I wanted her so very, very 
much. W ill she be gone long, Agnes ? ’ ’ 

“I don’t know, honey. What is the 


10 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


particular haste? Can I help you out?” 

afraid not,” answered Dorothy 
in a woe-begone voice. ‘‘Do you knoAv 
whether mother has had a letter from 
Mrs. Eamsey this morning?” 

“I don’t know that, either. She took 
her mail and said she w^ould read it while 
she was driving over. What is it about 
Mrs. Eamsey, and why are you so inter- 
ested?” 

“We’ll explain,” replied Dorothy. 
“You let her read Jennie’s letter Edna, 
and that will tell most of it.” 

A second time Edna handed over the 
letter to be read, and when Agnes had 
finished, she told her about the letter Mrs. 
Conway had received. 

“And so you see,” Dorothy took up the 
tale, “mother is sure to say just what Mrs. 
Conway did, only I thought we might find 
out sooner what papa thought if we talked 
to him over the ’phone.” 


V 


THE INVITATION 


11 


don’t see why we can’t do that any- 
how, and get that much settled,” said 
Agnes. ‘‘Suppose I call him up and tell 
him about it, then when mother comes in 
we will tell her what he says, for she is 
pretty sure to have had Mrs. Ramsey’s 
letter.” 

“Oh, Agnes, that will be lovely,” cried 
Dorothy, clasping her hand. “It is aw- 
fully good of you to think of doing it.” 

“Let me see,” said Agnes, “I think 
father is pretty sure to be in his oiBce 
about this time ; we might as well go and 
get it over.” 

She went to the ’phone, the two little 
girls standing by while she carried on the 
conversation, and once in a while one of 
them would put in a word of argument, so 
that they could be sure the last word had 
been said on the subject. After a while 
Agnes hung up the receiver and looked 
down with a smile. 


12 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


^^That mucli is settled,’’ she told them. 
^‘Father says he hasn’t the slightest ob- 
jection and leaves it all to mother to de- 
cide.” 

‘‘Then there is nothing to do but wait, 
I suppose,” said Dorothy with a sigh. 

“Why, I don’t know,” said Agnes after 
a moment’s thought. “Why can’t you 
call up Mrs. MacDonald’s and get mother 
there ? She will have read the letter, you 
see, and it will be fresh in her mind.” 

“Why, of course,” said Dorothy de- 
lightedly. “Shall I do it myself, Ag- 
nes?” 

“You might as well plead your own 
cause,” returned Agnes. 

So Dorothy was soon discussing the 
matter with her mother, and finally won 
from her the assurance that she did not 
see anything to prevent, though she would 
not say positively until she had discussed 
it with Mrs. Conway. 


THE INVITATION 


13 


‘‘Then, Mother, will you please stop 
there on your way home?” was Dorothy’s 
final prayer. 

“She’s going to stop and talk it over 
with your mother on her way home,” was 
the news she gave Edna. “Now I sup- 
pose that is all that we can do. Do you 
think it is, Agnes?” she asked. 

“I don’t see why Edna couldn’t call up 
her father just as you did yours,” re- 
turned Agnes, “and then there would be 
only the mothers to deal with.” 

“Why, of course,” agreed Dorothy, 
Avith a pleased look. “Come on, Edna, 
and see what he says.” 

But here they met with a disappoint- 
ment, for Mr. Conway was not at his office 
and it was uncertain when he would be, so 
his word on the subject must be left till 
later. 

At Dorothy’s urgent request Edna 
stayed until Mrs. Evans’ return, and the 


14 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


two spent most of the intervening time 
in watching for the carriage. 

At last it was seen slowly coming up 
the drive, and the two little girls rushed 
out to meet it. 

^‘Go in out of the hot sun,” called Mrs. 
Evans, as the little figures took up a place 
either side of the carriage. ^^What are 
you thinking of ? Do you want to have a 
sunstroke?” 

‘^Oh, but. Mother, please stop and let 
us get in; then we won’t be in the sun,” 
said Dorothy. 

^‘Stop then, William,” Mrs. Evans or- 
dered the driver, and the two children 
clambered in. 

‘^We just can’t wait,” began Dorothy. 
^‘Mother, do please tell us what you and 
Mrs. Conway decided.” 

‘‘We decided that we would not decide 
until we found out what our husbands had 
to say.” 


THE INVITATION 


15 


‘^Oh, but we know what your husband 
has to say,” returned Dorothy trium- 
phantly. Agnes called him up on the 
’phone and he said he had no objection 
as far as he was concerned and he would 
leave it all to you.” 

Mrs. Evans laughed. ‘‘Well, you cer- 
tainly have not wasted any time.” 

“Then, please, please say what you 
think.” 

“Why, my dear, you haven’t given me 
time to think.” 

“How long will it take, then,” contin- 
ued Dorothy, pressing the matter. 

“I will try to decide by this evening. 
There is no great hurry, is there?” 

“Why, Mother, of course there is. I 
don’t think I could sleep unless I knew.” 

“Then, I shall try to prevent such a 
catastrophe by settling it before bedtime. 
Here we are. You will stay to lunch, 
won’t you, Edna?” 


16 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


‘‘Why, no, Mrs. Evans, thank you, I 
don’t think I ought, for I didn’t teU 
mother I Tvould stay.” 

“Then let William take you home; it is 
too warm to walk. The horses haven’t 
been very far, and William can drive 
slowly.” 

So the two little girls parted and Edna 
returned to her own home. She was not 
long in finding her mother, and in plying 
her with questions upon the all-important 
subject, but she received no further as- 
surance than had been given her in the 
beginning and was fain to exercise her pa- 
tience and unburden herself to her sister 
Celia, who was interested and sympa- 
thetic. But at last even Celia became 
tired of the topic and went off to take a 
nap in her own room. So Edna went 
down to a cool spot at the back of the 
house where there was a little stream, and 
tried to amuse herself with a book. 


THE INVITATION 


17 


But even her favorite fairy tales failed 
to fix her attention, so she returned to the 
house to find everyone given up to nap- 
ping and the place so still that finally in 
the coolest corner of the library where 
a little breeze found its way through the 
open windows, she herself fell asleep. 

When she awoke it was to hear her 
father’s voice saying: “Hallo! who is 
this? The Sleeping Beauty?” 

“Oh, Papa,” cried Edna, awake in a 
moment, “how nice and early you have 
come home.” 

“It was too hot to stay in the city any 
longer than necessary,” her father told 
her. “There wasn’t much doing, so I 
thought I would be better off here.” 

“I called you up on the ’phone this 
morning,” said Edna, “but you weren’t at 
the office.” 

“And what did you want of me?” 

“Mother will tell you,” answered Edna, 


18 A DEAR LITTLE GIRI/S HOLIDAYS 


suddenly shy of meeting a decision which 
might disappoint her. 

‘‘Then I’d better find mother and see 
what it is all about.” 

Left to herself Edna waited for what 
seemed to her a very long time, quite long 
enough for the affairs of a nation to be 
settled, and then she went slowly up the 
stairs, and paused before the open door 
of her mother’s room. To her surprise 
her parents were talking about something 
quite different from the subject upper- 
most in her own mind. 

“Edna, dear,” said her mother, catch- 
ing sight of the little figure, “you’d better 
get ready for dinner. We shall have it a 
little earlier, so Susan won’t be kept so 
late over the hot fire. ” 

Edna took a step into the room. “Did 
you ask him?” she said wistfully. 

“Ask what? Oh, yes, I forgot dear,” 
she said turning to her husband. “Edna 


THE INVITATION 


19 


has had a very cordial invitation from 
Mrs. Ramsey to spend some weeks at the 
Ramseys’ summer home. She and Dor- 
othy Evans are both invited, and I think 
the Ramseys really will be disappointed 
if we do not allow Edna to go. What do 
you think?” 

Wasn’t it just like mother to put it that 
way? thought Edna. Surely her father 
could not be so heartless as to refuse his 
consent after that. 

Her faith in her mother’s tact was not 
misplaced for her father replied : “Why, 
I think that will be great for Edna. Of 
course let her go.” 

“Oh, Mother, Mother, may I? May 
I ?” cried Edna with clasped hands and be- 
seeching eyes. 

Her mother turned from the mirror be- 
fore which she was standing to arrange 
her hair. “Well, honey,” she said. “I 
think it is decided that you may.” 


20 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


Edna flew to her to bestow a rapturous 
bug and kiss, and then sped out of the 
room and downstairs to the telephone. 
‘^One, six, seven; ring two,” she called in 
an excited voice. 

Presently there was an answering 
Hallo,” from the other end. 

^Hs that you, Dorothy?” called Edna. 
^^Yes. Oh, Edna, I hoped it was you. 
Do tell me, is there any news?” 

<<I’m going,” came the triumphant re- 

ply- 

‘‘So am I,” came promptly back to her. 


CHAPTER II 


THE ARRIVAL 

For the next few days there was much 
talk of clothes and packing, of trains and 
time-tables, and it was a matter of some 
discussion as to the best way for the little 
girls to make their journey of some hun- 
dreds of miles. Dorothy had never been 
so far away from home, and was therefore 
the more excited of the two. After some 
writing back and forth it was decided that 
the two children should go to the city un- 
der Mr. Conway’s care and there he 
turned them over to Mr. Ramsey who was 
to join his family at the seashore in about 
a week. 

^^Do you suppose we shall get home- 
21 


22 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


sick?’’ asked Dorothj^ as the time drew 
near for them to make their start. 

‘‘Oh, I hope not,” returned Edna fer- 
vently. “I was awfully homesick at 
Aimt Elizabeth’s, but this will be quite 
different, for there will be Jennie, and 
Mrs. Eamsey is a real mother ; besides we 
shall have one another.” 

“I know all that,” returned Dorothy a 
little dubiously, “but Jennie’s mother 
won’t be mine nor yours.” 

Edna was willing to admit this, but she 
had gone through some rather trying ex- 
periences and was not disposed to think 
that anything but pleasant times awaited 
them. As Jennie had pictured it the visit 
was to be one long season of delight, so 
Edna said determinedly, “Well, I don’t 
intend to be homesick.” 

“Then I’ll try not to be,” returned 
Dorothy, not to be outdone in courage. 

However, when the trunks stood ready 


THE ARRIVAL 


23 


packed, and Edna said good night for the 
last time before undertaking the journey, 
she held her mother very tightly around 
the neck and whispered: wish you 

were going too. Mother/’ 

‘^That can’t be, darling,” said her 
mother. ‘‘You will have such a fine time 
that you will not miss your mother at all.” 

“Oh, but I shall,” returned Edna, half 
wishing she were not going after all. “I 
’most wish it was time to come back in- 
stead of time to go.” 

Her mother laughed. “And this is the 
little girl who could scarcely wait to be 
told she could go. Never mind, dearie, 
you will feel quite differently to-morrow 
morning. Now go to sleep, for you must 
get up bright and early, you loiow.” 

Edna settled down with a sigh, but, in 
spite of her excitement, she soon fell 
asleep to waken in the morning with the 
feeling that something very important 


24 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL^S HOLIDAYS 


was to happen. Her mother came in to 
see that she was properly dressed and to 
tie the bows on her hair. Then just as 
they were about to sit down to breakfast, 
the expressman came for the trunk, and 
next Dorothy arrived all impatience. 

‘‘Why, Edna, haven’t you had break- 
fast yet ? ’ ’ she asked. ‘ ‘ Aren ’t you afraid 
we shall be late?” 

“We don’t have to go till papa does, 
and he hasn’t half finished,” replied 
Edna. So Dorothy had to possess her 
soul in patience for there was no gainsay- 
ing the fact that they could not go without 
Mr. Conway. 

At last the good-bys were said, and 
Edna waved to her mother till she could 
no longer see the white figure on the 
porch. Agnes and Celia had gone on 
ahead to the station and the boys were 
there, too, to see them off. Soon the train 
came in sight; in another moment they 


THE ARRIVAL 


25 


had been helped aboard, and the next they 
were off. It was but a short ride to the 
city, and this part of the journey was not 
exciting, as it was one with which they 
were very familiar. But when they were 
ushered into Mr. Eamsey’s private office, 
they felt that here began their untrod 
way. 

They sat for some time, their feet dang- 
ling from their high chairs while Mr. 
Ramsey conferred with his clerks in the 
outer ofSce. Their talk was carried on in 
whispers, though once in a while a stifled 
giggle told that they were in good 
spirits. 

At last Mr. Ramsey appeared. ^^Well, 
young ladies,” he said, am sorry I had 
to leave you so long, but when a man is 
about to take a holiday, he has so many 
things to see about that he doesn’t know 
which way to turn.” He looked at his 
watch. think we have just about time 


26 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


enough to get that ten o ’clock train. ’ ’ He 
pressed an electric button and a boy in a 
grey uniform came to the door. ‘‘Take 
these bags, Edward,” said Mr. Eamsey, 
pointing to the satchels each little girl had 
placed carefully by her chair. The boy 
led the way to the elevator and down they 
went to the first fioor of the big office 
building, then to the street where an auto- 
mobile stood to whizz them off to the sta- 
tion. Mr. Eamsey directed the chauffeur 
to see about the trunks while he conducted 
the little girls to the waiting-room where 
he left them, returning in a moment to 
hurry them to the train, and the second 
part of their journey began. 

“I never was in a parlor car before,” 
whispered Dorothy to Edna as the porter 
turned their seat to a proper angle and 
adjusted their footstools." 

“I was once,” replied Edna. 

Here Mr. Eamsey handed over some 


THE ARRIVAL 


27 


picture papers to them and a box of choco- 
lates. ‘‘I am going into the smoking- 
car,” he said. ‘^Do you think you young 
ladies can get along a little while without 
me?” 

‘‘We’ll try to,” replied Edna politely. 

“If you want a glass of water or any- 
thing, just call the porter,” Mr. Ramsey 
told them and then he left them. 

There were not so very many persons 
in the car to interest them and for a time 
the children gave their attention to the 
newspapers and the box of chocolates, but 
after a while they wearied of these, and 
began to look at their fellow travellers. 
A very pretty young lady smiled at them 
from across the aisle, and an older woman 
back of her looked interested in their 
movements. After a while this latter per- 
son came over and took the place directly 
behind them where Mr. Ramsey had been 
sitting. 


28 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


‘‘Are you children all alone?” she be- 
gan the conversation. 

“No,” replied Dorothy. 

“Are you sisters?” was the next ques- 
tion. 

“No, we are only friends,” Edna an- 
swered this time. 

“And is the gentleman who came with 
you your father?” 

“No, he is just taking us to his house 
where we are going to make a visit.” 

“Is he any relation to you?” came next. 

“No relation at all. He is the father of 
the friend we are going to visit.” It was 
Dorothy’s turn this time. 

“And do your mothers approve of your 
going off this way without a member of 
your family?” 

This question the children thought a 
very disagreeable one. They looked at 
one another before Dorothy made reply. 
“If it wasn’t exactly right our parents 


THE ARRIVAL 


29 


wouldn’t let us do it. They never let us 
do a thing that isn’t exactly right.” 

‘^And nobody knows what is right so 
well as my mother,” Edna chimed in. 

^'^Mine, too,” put in Dorothy. 

‘ ‘ How far did you say you were going ? ’ ’ 
asked their questioner. 

‘‘We didn’t say,” answered Dorothy, 
“but we are going to New York.” She 
gave a little frown to Edna, who under- 
stood that she was not to vouchsafe any 
further information. “I just wasn’t go- 
ing to tell her where we were really going 
from New York,” Dorothy said to her 
friend afterward. “It wasn’t any of her 
business.” 

“New York is a very wicked city,” 
their acquaintance informed them. “You 
must be very careful not to be alone in the 
streets. I would advise you never to lose 
sight of your escort for a moment.” 

Both little girls felt rather glad that 


30 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL^S HOLIDAYS 


they were not to remain in such a dread- 
ful place, but they made no reply and 
wished most heartily that Mr. Eamsey 
would return to his seat and rid them of 
this undesirable companion. Presently 
Edna had a bright idea. Would you 
like to look at some of our papers?’’ she 
asked. 

‘‘What have you?” asked the lady put- 
ting up her lorgnette. 

“We have Life and Puch and Judge 
and—” 

“I’ll take Life and Puck/^ She ac- 
cepted the papers handed to her and set- 
tled back in the seat she had behind them. 
The two children looked at each other with 
relieved expressions. “Don’t you wish 
Mr. Eamsey would come back?” whis- 
pered Edna. 

“Yes, but where will he sit?” Dorothy 
whispered back. They both smothered a 
giggle at this, and looking up Edna 


THE ARRIVAL 


31 


caught sight of the pretty young lady 
looking at them with an amused expres- 
sion. She made a little movement with 
her hand to beckon Edna over to her. 

^^Is that old turtle quizzing you?’’ she 
asked in a low tone. ^^She is a perfect 
bore. She tackled me first but I wouldn’t 
talk to her. Are you wondering if she 
is going to take that seat and keep it?” 

^‘We were wondering what Mr. Ram- 
sey would do,” returned Edna. 

“I’ll tell you what to do; you take her 
seat and see what will happen. It is just 
here in front of me.” 

Edna took possession and in a few mo- 
ments the inquisitive lady looked up and 
saw her there. She at once hurried over, 
dropping the papers by the way. “Here, 
here,” she cried, “what are you doing in 
my seat? You must get right up. All 
my things are here, and I don’t want any- 
one to meddle with them. Get right up.” 


32 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


Edna arose with alacrity while the 
pretty young lady leaned over and said; 

asked her to sit there while you occu- 
pied her friend’s seat. I wanted to talk 
to her, too. It is a poor rule that doesn’t 
work both ways, you know.” 

The inquisitive lady gave the speaker a 
withering look and sank to her place with 
an air of great dignity while Edna re- 
turned to her place by Dorothy. In a 
few minutes Mr. Eainsey returned and 
both children gave a sigh of relief, though 
both kept wondering what would have 
happened if he had found someone in his 
place, and what more would have hap- 
pened if he had taken the place the lady 
now occupied. They soon forgot all this 
however, for Mr. Ramsey began to talk 
to them about the place to which they 
were going and before they knew it they 
had reached New York. The pretty 
young lady gave them a nod and a smile 


THE ARRIVAL 


33 


as she passed out, but the inquisitive lady 
did not look their way at all though she 
still retained the copy of Life they had 
lent her. 

A taxi-cab whirled them up-town to the 
hotel where they were to lunch. Mr. 
Eamsey sent them upstairs to a pretty 
room, in charge of a neat maid who tidied 
them up and then took them down to the 
dining-room where Mr. Eamsey was al- 
ready seated waiting for them. They felt 
very grand to be in so fine a place lunch- 
ing with a gentleman quite like grown-up 
young ladies, and both wished their sisters 
could see them. 

Lunch over, Mr. Eamsey took them to 
a large reception room where he stationed 
them at a window so they could look out 
on the street. think you will be en- 
tertained here,’’ he said. am obliged 
to meet a business a]3pointment, but I will 
be back as soon as I can. In the mean- 


34 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


time amuse yourselves as you like, but 
don’t leave the hotel. Here is the key of 
your room. The elevator boy or one of 
the chambermaids will show you where it 
is, if you would rather go there. I am 
glad there are two of you, for you can’t 
be lonesome with one another. Good- 
bye.” He was off and the two little girls, 
feeling that they were very small frogs in 
an immense puddle, sat by the window 
looking out on the street. Although it 
was not so warm as it had been earlier in 
the week, still it was warm enough, and 
the passers-by looked hot and tired, and 
after a while the two little girls wearied 
at looking at the constant stream of 
people. 

“Let’s go upstairs,” suggested Doro- 
thy. 

“All right. Let’s,” returned Edna. 

But just as they were standing timidly 
looking up and down the corridor trying 


THE ARRIVAL 


35 


to determine in which direction to go to 
find the elevator, a man wearing many 
brass buttons on his coat, came up to them. 
‘‘Are you the young ladies in Number 
136?’’ he asked. 

Dorothy looked at the key she was hold- 
ing and on its wooden tag she read the 
number 136. “Yes, that is the number,” 
she told the man. 

“Then here’s something that’s come for 
you,” he said holding out two packages. 
“I knocked at your door, but you wasn’t 
there, and the chambermaid said you 
might be in here.” 

The children thanked him and looked 
at the packages which were quite dis- 
tinctly marked with their names and the 
number of their room as well as with the 
name of the hotel. They inquired their 
way to the elevator and had soon closed 
the door of their room after them. 

“I’d a great deal rather be in here to 


36 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


ourselves,’^ said Edna, we can do just 
what we like. You open one package, 
Dorothy and I will open the other. Do 
you suppose Mr. Eamsey sent them?” 

‘‘Of course, because no one else knows 
where we are. Isn’t it funny, Edna, to 
think that even our mothers don’t know 
where we are ? Do hurry and open your 
package. Mine isn’t tied, and I know 
what it is but I don’t want to tell till you 
have yours ready.” 

“This is such a heavy string,” said 
Edna fumbling at the knot. “If I had a 
knife I would cut it, but I think I know 
what this is; it is a book, I am sure.” 
After much to-do they managed to un- 
fasten the package to disclose a new book 
of fairy tales. 

“How perfectly lovely !” cried Dorothy. 
And, “I have wanted to read those ever 
since I took a peep at them one day when 
we were at Helen Darby’s,” 


THE ARRIVAL 


37 


‘‘Now we’ll look at the other package,” 
said Dorothy, slowly unfolding the paper 
which enclosed this. 

The second package was found to con- 
tain two paper-dolls and two puzzles. 
After the paper-dolls were duly admired 
their were laid aside. “For,” said Dor- 
othy, “we haven’t any scissors, so we 
can’t cut out their frocks.” 

“I think it was perfectly lovely of Mr. 
Ramsey to think of getting such nice 
things,” said Edna warmly. 

“I suppose he thought we might get 
lonely if he stayed so long away. What 
would you do, Edna, if something 
happened that he didn’t ever come 
back?” 

Edna considered for awhile before she 
answered: “I’d send a telegram to papa 
to come and get us.” 

“It would be better to telephone,” re- 
turned Dorothy. “We could use the 


88 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL^S HOLIDAYS 


long-distance ’phone and tell them all 
about it.” 

^^So we could. I didn’t think of that. 
We could stay right here and not leave 
the hotel at all, because that woman said 
it wouldn’t do for us to go alone in the 
streets of New York.” 

But such an emergency did not arise, 
though as the afternoon wore on, the little 
girls began to get somewhat anxious. 
They read several of the fairy tales ; they 
worked over their puzzles; they watched 
from the windows, and finally decided to 
put on their hats and pack up such of 
their belongings as they had taken from 
their satchels so they might be all ready. 
The new book and other gifts were stowed 
away, too, and this was hardly done be- 
fore there came a quick knock at the door, 
and it was opened to Mr, Eamsey himself. 

^Wou’re all ready?” he cried. ^^Good! 
Come right along as fast as you can.” 


THE ARRIVAL 


39 


A boy bad already snatched up their 
hand-bags and was hurrying off with 
them. Mr. Eamsey rushed them along 
the hall and into the elevator, then they 
were hurried into a taxi-cab which stood 
waiting and off they went. 

As soon as they had started, Mr. Eam- 
sey looked at his watch. ‘Mt’s a close 
shave, but I think we can make it,” he 
said. Then he leaned over to speak to the 
driver. ^‘Get us to the Fall Eiver boat 
in time and you shall have an extra tip,” 
he said. 

So through the crowded streets, worm- 
ing their way among lines of heavy teams, 
across car-tracks, and into queer-looking 
neighborhoods they were taken, arriving 
just in time to be taken on board the boat 
before she should move off. 

It was all very exciting, but not un- 
pleasant, for they felt quite safe with Mr. 
Eamsey. He smiled do^vn at them as he 


40 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


led the way to the deck. ‘‘We did make 
it, didn’t we?” he said. “If you children 
had not been all ready we should have 
been goners.” 

“Suppose we had been too late for the 
boat what would you have done?” asked 
Edna. 

“We could have taken a night train, 
but it would not have been so pleasant this 
warm evening. Now you can sit here 
while I get the keys of our staterooms, 
then we will go on deck and see the har- 
bor. Our staterooms open into one an- 
other, so you needn’t be afraid, but you 
will have to draw lots for the upper 
berth.” 

This last matter was easily adjusted for 
Dorothy begged to be allowed to climb up 
while Edna thought she would prefer to 
be below. After all this was talked over 
and settled, they sat on deck till they had 
seen the Statue of Liberty, had passed un- 


THE ARRIVAL 


41 


der the Brooklyn bridges, and had gone 
beyond the boundaries of New York. Mr. 
Eamsey pointed out all the things of in- 
terest and at last said they would better 
have supper. This over, they returned to 
the deck till sleep overcame them and 
they were put in charge of the stewardess 
Avhile Mr. Ramsey remained above to 
smoke a final cigar. 

Edna was awakened the next morning 
by Dorothy’s leaning over to tickle her 
ear with a slip of paper. ^‘Do you know 
where you are?” she asked. 

Edna sat up rubbing her eyes. ‘‘I 
didn’t at first,” she answered, but I do 
now. ^‘Is it time to get up, Dorothy?” 

don’t know, but I should think so, 
for the boat isn’t going. I think it has 
stopped for good, for there is a great 
noise of taking off things, and I hear 
people talking outside.” 

In a few minutes there came a knock 


42 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


from Mr. Eamsey’s stateroom and his 
voice inquired: ^‘Are you getting up, 
young ladies?’’ 

^‘We are up,” replied Edna, ‘^but we 
aren’t dressed yet.” 

^^Come out when you are and we’ll have 
some breakfast before we take the train, ’ ’ 
came the response. 

should think we’d better hurry a lit- 
tle,” Edna told Dorothy. ^M’ll do your 
ribbons and buttons if you will do mine.” 
This mutual help hastened matters de- 
cidedly and they were very soon ready, 
deciding that they would be on the safe 
side in putting on their hats, but after all 
breakfast was rather a hurried meal, and 
next thing they knew they were on the 
train for Boston. Here they crossed the 
city to take another train which should 
bear them over the last stage of their 
journey. 

Jennie is sure to be there to meet us,” 


THE ARRIVAL 


43 


Mr. Eamsey told them. shall let her 
know what famous travelers you are. I 
shouldn’t want better. No stopping to 
prink at the last moment, no forgetting 
something when it is too late to go back 
for it. Always smiling and in good spir- 
its. You are models, I tell you.” 

The girls felt very much flattered at 
such high compliments, and were glad 
they had given heed to the careful in- 
structions they had received from their 
mothers. 

When at last the train did stop at the 
station, sure enough there was Jennie the 
first one to greet them. She was so eager 
to welcome her friends that her father 
complained that she had no eyes for him. 
At this she gave him a hasty kiss, but at 
once turned back to Edna and Dorothy. 
''I am going to take you home myself in 
the pony cart,” she said. ''Papa can go 
in the motor-car.” 


44 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


^^All alone?’’ queried her father in pre- 
tended dismay. ‘‘I like that.” 

^‘Oh, but you will have Mack,” re- 
turned Jennie, ‘^and it isn’t far.” 

Mr. Eamsey laughed and the two de- 
lighted guests clambered into the little 
pony-cart, Jennie took her seat, touched 
up the pony very lightly with her be-rib- 
boned whip and off they went full of 
pleased anticipations. 


CHAPTER III 


MISS ELOISE 

It was quite a different looking country 
from that they had left which Dorothy 
and Edna now drove through. Instead 
of rolling meadows, hills and dales, were 
long stretches of salt march, sand dunes 
and beyond all the great expanse of ocean. 
An avenue of trees led up to the Ramsey’s 
home, and there was a broad lawn in 
front, but on the east side was a pretty 
beach, a view of the harbor and the spark- 
ling water. ^ ‘Isn’t it beautiful?” whis- 
pered Edna to Dorothy as the two fol- 
lowed J ennie up the steps to where Mrs. 
Ramsey stood on the porch to meet them. 

“Fine,” returned Jennie. 

She had time to say no more than this 
45 


46 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


for here was Mrs. Eamsey asking how 
they had stood the journey, and how they 
had left all at home, so their attention 
must be given to answering questions and 
not to discussing what they saw around 
them. 

Mr. Eamsey had already arrived, the 
motor-car having far outdone the little 
X3ony, and he was now talking to two 
ladies who sat at the further end of the 
porch. They were hidden by his figure 
so the little newly-arrived guests did not 
recognize them then. 

“Take the little girls up to their room, 
Jennie,” directed Mrs. Eamsey. “You 
Avill all have time for a nice dip in the sea 
before lunch time.” 

This was a very exciting prospect, for 
neither of the two had ever gone through 
the experience of sea-bathing. 

“We have new bathing-suits,” they told 
Jennie with pride. 


MISS ELOISE 


47 


^^But they are in our trunks,” suddenly 
exclaimed Dorothy, ‘‘and those haven’t 
come yet.” 

“Never mind,” replied Jennie, “I have 
two or three, so we need not wait.” 

However, the trunks did arrive before 
they had need to borrow, and the bathing- 
suits were easily found and hastily put on 
amidst much giggling and many exclama- 
tions, for it was such a new excitement it 
was impossible to do anything soberly. 
Then Jennie led the way down the back 
stairs and over a path at the rear of the 
house to the little stretch of beach. With 
many little squeals of apprehension, the 
two who lacked experience, ventured to 
the edge of the water, but Jennie dashed 
in, letting the waves completely cover her, 
and with such an example the other two 
soon became braver and began to enjoy 
themselves hugely. Indeed they were 
fain to remain longer than they should. 


48 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


but at last a maid came to say they must 
not stay in a moment longer as it was near- 
ing time for lunch. 

think it is perfectly lovely,’’ said 
Edna as, with the water dripping down 
her bare legs, she entered the little bath 
house where they exchanged their wet suits 
for dry clothing which the maid had 
brought down. ‘‘Do you go in every day, 
Jennie?” 

“Just about,” she replied. 

‘ ‘ Even when it rains ? ’ ’ 

“Oh, no, not then, unless it is a very gen- 
tle rain and it is not too cold.” 

Edna gave a sigh of satisfaction. ‘ ‘ And 
what do you do in the afternoons?” 

“Oh, anything I please. Sometimes I 
take the pony and drive up to the rocks, 
and sometimes I just stay around the 
house or the grounds. What should you 
like to do? Would you like to go to the 
village?” 


MISS ELOISE 


49 


‘ ‘ Why, I don ’t Imow. ’ ’ Edna looked at 
Dorothy. ^‘I’d like to do whatever you 
two would like.’’ 

‘‘That’s just like you,” said Jennie. 
“You always want to have other people 
have a good time whether you do or not. 
We don’t forget about Clara Adams, do 
we, Dorothy?” 

“Oh, that wasn’t anything,” returned 
Edna. “Besides, I had the very finest 
sort of a time.” 

“Well, we can decide after lunch what 
we would like to do, ” J ennie went on, “but 
now I daresay you are as hungry as hun- 
ters; I know I am.” 

“Who were the two ladies sitting on the 
j)orch?” asked Dorothy. 

“Oh, didn’t you know?” said Jennie in 
a tone of surprise. “Then I won’t tell, 
and you can find out when we go in. I 
know you will be awfully pleased. ’ ’ 

The mystery of this made the other two 


50 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


hurry with their dressing, but they were 
none too early as they found when they 
reached the house, for the rest were al- 
ready seated at table. To the surprise of 
both the visitors the two ladies were well 
known to them for one was their teacher 
Miss Newman, and the other was her in- 
valid sister, Miss Eloise. 

^^Oh, isn’t this lovely?” cried the latter. 
^‘We knew you were coming, but you 
didn’t know we were here, did you?” 

‘‘Indeed we did not,” replied Edna. 
“How did you get here, Miss Eloise?”* 

“We came all the way by boat, and I did 
enjoy it so much. I’ll tell you all about it 
after lunch.” 

“And if you are as, hungry as I am,” 
said Mr. Ramsey, “you will be glad to give 
your undivided attention to this clam- 
chowder first thing. W e all know how en- 
tertaining Miss Eloise ’s tales can be, so 
you’d better save them for dessert.” 


MISS ELOISE 


51 


The luncheon was so good that the chil- 
dren did not need a second bidding, and 
were surprised to find how hungry they 
were till they remembered that they had 
not eaten anything since their none too 
hearty breakfast. It was certainly de- 
lightful to be there in the cool spacious 
house with the noise of the sea ever in their 
ears and the cool breeze coming in the win- 
dows, and the newcomers felt that all this 
accounted for the better color in Miss 
Eloise’s cheeks and for the brighter look in 
her eyes. 

They all gathered around her on the 
porch after lunch and she told them about 
her coming. 

‘‘You see it was this way,” she began. 
“It was so stifling in the city that I was 
perfectly exhausted by the heat and the 
doctor told my sister I must get away if 
possible, but we could neither of us see 
where or how, and poor sister was so wor- 


52 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


ried she didn’t know what to do. Then 
all of a sudden, just as if she knew all 
about our difficulties, came a letter from 
Mrs. Eamsey asking us to come up here, 
and arranging it all so nicely that there 
seemed no reason in the world why I could 
not make the journey comfortably. So 
we decided that we would try it. Mr. 
Eamsey sent the automobile that took us 
to the wharf and we came all the way by 
boat to Boston where Mrs. Eamsey met 
us, and from there we took another boat 
which brought us to the wharf here. Sis- 
ter was so afraid I would be sea-sick, but I 
was not, in fact it was the most glorious 
trip I ever had, and we can go back the 
same way. It is all so wonderful that I 
haven’t recovered from the wonder of it 
yet. I am so much stronger that I can 
walk about a very little, and don’t have to 
sit in a rolling chair all day.” 

All this did seem very wonderful to the 


MISS ELOISE 


53 


little girls who had been accustomed to see- 
ing Miss Eloise always in an invalid’s 
chair wheeled from room to room. ^^Do 
you think you will be able to walk more 
and more asked Edna interestedly. 

‘‘The doctor — Mrs. Eamsey’s doctor — 
thinks I may be able to as I get stronger. 
He has encouraged me so much that I be- 
gin to think anything possible.” 

All this was very pleasant news, but here 
Miss Newman interfered by saying, “Ellie, 
darling, you know you must not overtax 
your strength and now you must be taking 
a rest. The salt baths are doing her a 
world of good,” she turned to the children 
to say, “but we must not go beyond her 
strength.” So she bore off Miss Eloise 
and the little girls were left to themselves. 

There were so many pleasures in sight 
that they found it hard to choose, but fi- 
nally it was decided among them that each 
sliould take her turn in making plans for 


54 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


the afternoons, and that they would draw 
lots for first choice. This they did with 
three slips of paper. Dorothy drew the 
longest, therefore to her fell the choice for 
that day. J ennie drew the second longest 
and she was to take the next day. As 
Edna’s was the shortest she came last and 
after that it was easy enough, for they 
were to keep it up in this order. 

After much discussion, Dorothy de- 
cided that the very nicest and most unu- 
sual thing to do would be to go out in a 
boat for a row. 

“I think that will be perfectly lovely,” 
declared Edna, who had been wavering in 
her own mind between a preference for 
the water and a drive behind the little 
pony. 

‘‘I’m sure I shall like it,” Jennie said, 
“and we shall have a good time, I know. 
Mother always lets me go when we can 
get old Cap’n Si to take us, for he is per- 


MISS ELOISE 


55 


fectly safe and is such a funny old fel- 
low. 

‘‘Who is he?’’ asked the others. 

“He is an old fisherman who used to 
have a fishing vessel of his own, but now 
he is too old to go to the Banins, so he just 
fishes around a little, and takes people out 
rowing or sailing when they don’t want to 
go too far. He lives in that little old 
house over on that point.” 

Dorothy and Edna looked to where she 
indicated and saw a little low brown house 
very near the water. They could dis- 
tinguish someone sitting in the doorway. 

“What is he doing?” asked Dorothy. 

“He is mending his nets.” 

“How will he know we want him? Do 
we have to go over and tell him?” 

“No, I will tell you how we manage. 
Come with me.” 

The two followed her to the bath-house, 
one side of which was used as a boat- 


56 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL^S HOLIDAYS 


house. From a nail inside the door Jen- 
nie took down a tin horn, which she blew 
lustily, then looked intently in the direc- 
tion of Cap’n Si’s house. ^‘He hasn’t 
heard,” she said presently, and blew an- 
other blast. At this Cap’n Si shaded his 
eyes, and then waved his hand. 

‘‘He hears,” said Jennie. “Now I 
must let him know the time.” She went 
to where a flag-pole displayed a blue and 
white pennant. This she raised and low- 
ered three times. “Now he will know 
that he is to come at three o’clock,” she 
told the others. 

Cap’n Si evidently understood, for he 
waved his hand three times. 

“I think that is a fine way to let him 
know,” said Edna. “How did you ever 
think of it?” 

“Oh, I didn’t think of it, Cap’n Si did. 
He always sits out there on that bench 
pleasant afternoons, and he told me just 


MISS ELOISE 


57 


how I could let him know when I wanted 
him. I think I will get him to take us to 
Shelly Beach; it is such a nice place.” 

‘‘Are there really shells there?” 

“Oh, yes, ever so many, and some of 
them are so pretty, tiny little pinky 
ones.” 

This sounded so fascinating that Edna 
declared that if it had been her afternoon 
to choose she could have selected nothing 
more to her mind than this expedition. 

“We must go tell mother where we are 
going,” said Jennie, “so she won’t be 
anxious.” 

Mrs. Ramsey was in the library at a 
desk writing letters. She looked up as 
the children came in. “I am just send- 
ing a line to your mothers, dearies,” she 
said to Edna and Dorothy. “I thought 
they would be anxious to know of your 
safe arrival. What is on hand for this 
afternoon?” 


58 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


are going to get Oap’n Si to take 
us to Shelly Beach,” Jennie told her. 

^^Then he sure to take some warm 
wraps and be back before six.” 

‘‘Oh, you know Cap’n Si never keeps us 
out late.” 

“No, I realize that he can be relied upon. 
I think that will be a very nice expedition 
for you. Would you like to take along 
some biscuits or something? You can ask 
Emma to give you something of that kind 
if you like.” 

“Could we have some hard-boiled eggs, 
too?” 

“If there is time to boil them. Let me 
see. Oh, yes, it is only half past two. 
Well, run along and make your prepara- 
tions. Have a good time.” 

“Isn’t she dear?” said Dorothy, when 
they were out of the room. “Does she al- 
ways let you have anything you want, like 
that?” 


MISS ELOISE 


59 


‘^Oh, yes, generally. If she doesn’t it 
is because there is some good reason why 
I shouldn’t. I will take some extra salt 
and maybe Cap’n Si will get some fish and 
cook them for us on hot stones. He does 
that sometimes, and they do taste so good. 
I’ll get Emma to pack everything in a lit- 
tle basket.” 

Where do we go to get in the boat?” 
asked Edna. “Do we have to go to the 
steamboat wharf ? ’ ’ 

“No, indeed, he will come right to our 
little landing there beyond the boat- 
house.” 

This all seemed most convenient, and 
what with watching Emma pack the 
basket and with hunting up wraps the 
time went very rapidly and they were sur- 
prised to hear Mrs. Eamsey call to them, 
“Come along, children. Here comes 
Cap’n Si.” 

Although the sun was hot it did not 


60 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


seem so intolerable as it did at home, for 
here was the cool sea-breeze always blow- 
ing, and even the way to the beach did not 
seem an uncomfortable walk. Cap’n Si, 
a grizzly, toothless old man with a pleasant 
smile and twinkling blue eyes had already 
drawn his boat up on the sands when they 
reached him. He gave a quick nod of 
greeting as the three came up. 

These are my friends Dorothy Evans 
and Edna Conway,” said Jennie. 

Cap’n Si jerked his head to each one. 
‘^Glad to see ye,” he said. ‘‘Where be ye 
going. Jinny?” 

“We thought we would like to go to 
Shelly Beach. It isn ’t too far, is it ? ” 

“No, ’m Tain’t. Good weather, too. 
Hot down your way?” He turned to 
Edna to ask. 

“It has been scorching hot,” she told 
him, “but it wasn’t quite so dreadful when 
we came away.” 


MISS ELOISE 


61 


^ ^ Ever been to these parts before ^ ’ 

^^No, and we never saw the ocean, not 
the real ocean till now?’’ 

Cap’n Si looked at her as if she were a 
strange species of animal. ^‘Wal, I 
swan,” he ejaculated. Ain’t it queer 
how folks kin live ’slong as that and not 
see the ocean,” he said, turning to Jen- 
nie. 

guess I’d die ef you was to take me 
out of sight and sound of the water. 
Lived right here all my life.” He turned 
to Edna again. ^^Born in that there little 
house, and ain’t never lived nowhere else, 
less you call it living on board a fishing 
vessel. I’ve seen a good bit of towns and 
been to considerable many ports, but I 
ain’t seen nawthin’ I’d swop this place 
fur.” He took the basket and stowed it 
safely away, gave directions about their 
getting in the boat, shoved it off and came 
aboard himself without seeming to mind 


62 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


the fact that he had walked through two 
feet of water. 

Edna and Dorothy thought him a most 
interesting person with his red face, his 
white tuft of beard under his chin and his 
great knotty hands. He had a fund of 
stories to tell them about the sea and the 
creatures that lived in it, and he used 
so many queer expressions that they 
thought him very amusing and determined 
to remember all his funny sayings that 
they might tell the boys when they re- 
turned home. 

They reached Shelly Beach in about 
half an hour, and found it a very surpris- 
ing place, for here were not only shells 
but seaweeds and pretty pebbles. J ust be- 
yond the beach was a small grove where 
they decided they would have their little 
picnic after they had satisfied their desire 
for shells and pebbles. In the meantime 


MISS ELOISE 


63 


Cap’n Si went off promising to return in 
a little while. 

say we gather some of these seaweeds 
for Miss Eloise,” said Edna. 

am going to take some home to 
Agnes,” declared Dorothy. 

^^Then 111 take some to Celia, hut there 
is plenty for everyone, so we needn’t be 
afraid that anyone will have to be left out. 
I think I shall gather some shells for Uncle 
J ustus. ’ ’ This from Edna. 

^AVhy, Edna, do you think he will care 
for them?” 

^^Of course he will. He likes those 
Captain Doane has very much. I haven’t 
found any of the tiny pink ones yet, have 
you, Jennie?” 

^^Not yet, but I think we shall find some 
further along.” 

^^Then let’s go further along.” 

This they did and to their delight found 


64 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL^S HOLIDAYS 


some of the delicate little shells they were 
so anxious for. They were still absorbed 
in their search for these when Cap’n Si 
returned. 

^‘Oh, see what he has,” cried Jennie. 

‘‘What,” asked Edna, turning her head 
to look. 

“A string of fish. I wonder if he got 
them for us and if he is going to cook 
them.” 

They soon found that this was what 
Cap ’n Si intended to do, for he began to 
gather driftwood for a fire, and while the 
stones were heating he cleaned the fish, 
which he finally set to cook on the heated 
stones. 

“After all, I think we’d better have our 
picnic on the beach,” said Jennie, “for 
we won’t want to carry the fish so far. 
I’ll go get the basket and we can spread it 
out, the picnic, I mean, on that big fiat 
rock.” 


MISS ELOISE 


65 


think that will be nicer than the 
woods,’’ declared Dorothy, ‘‘for we have 
had picnics in woods often, but we never 
had one on a beach before.” 

Jennie proceeded to open the basketful 
of supplies and the others bustled about 
getting all the things properly placed. 
They wondered how they would be served 
with fish as there were no plates, but Cap ’n 
Si soon solved this difficulty by handing it 
around on clean pieces of driftwood. 

“How good it does taste,” said Dorothy. 
“I never did taste such good fish. I think 
this is the finest kind of picnic. Don’t you 
wish our mothers could see us, Edna ?” 

“I don’t see how I am able to eat so 
much?” remarked Edna. “I thought I 
was as hungry as I could be at lunch time 
and when it was over I didn’t feel as if I 
ever wanted anything to eat again, but 
now I am just as hungry as if there had 
never been any lunch.” 


66 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


Cap Si laughed at this. ‘ ‘ That ’s what 
the sea air does for folks,” he said. 
guess you’ll take a pound or two more 
home with you than you come with.” 

Edna looked down at her chubby little 
self and came to the conclusion that she 
would not care to take back too many more 
pounds, for she didn’t like her brothers to 
call her Butterball, as they were in the 
habit of doing when they wanted to tease 
her. However, this did not prevent her 
from doing full justice to the biscuits and 
butter, the little cakes and the sweet 
chocolate with which they ended their 
meal. 

Then Cap’n Si said it was about time 
they were starting back, so they did not 
have time to explore the grove and had not 
gathered half the seaweeds they had in- 
tended to, though they were not so much 
disturbed at this lack because Jennie said. 


MISS ELOISE 


67 


well, don’t bother, we can come here 
any time, and there will be just as many 
things as there are now.” 

Edna turned this over in her mind for 
some time. It seemed a strange fact that 
in spite of the tide’s forever washing away 
shells and weeds and pebbles, it forever 
washed in more to take the place of what 
had been given again to the sea. 

She smiled up into Cap’n Si’s face as 
she clasped his horny hand when they were 
about to land. think it is all so beau- 
tiful,” she said, ^^and I don’t wonder you 
like it so much. Thank you for telling us 
about all those things. I hope you’ll take 
us out again.” 

Cap’n Si gave an answering smile. 
‘‘Any time you want to go, just h’ist 
the flag,” he said. Then he rowed off in 
his boat across the shining waters. 

“Oh, dear,” said Edna with a sigh. “I 


68 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


am having such a lovely time I hate the 
day to be over.’’ 

‘^But there’s to-morrow,” replied Jen- 
nie cheerfully. 


CHAPTER IV 


THE PORCH PARTY 

This first afternoon was followed by 
many others quite as happy. Shelly 
Beach came to be a familiar spot, the 
grove was more than once explored, the 
drives up and down the coast became old 
acquaintances, while Cap’n Si grew to be 
as well known as any member of Jennie’s 
family. The little girls were never al- 
lowed to go out in a sail boat and never 
were permitted to go too far in the row- 
boat though Mr. Ramsey promised that 
some day they should all go on a sailing 
party, even Miss Eloise. The salt baths 
and the fine air were doing Miss Eloise so 
much good that one might expect almost 
anything would be possible for her before 
69 


70 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


the summer was over. She was a great 
favorite with everybody, and with none 
more than the three little girls to Avhom 
she gave confidences she withheld from 
older persons, and they came to know a 
great deal about the circumstances of her- 
self and sister. 

wish we could do something about 
it,’’ said Jennie, one day when the three 
children were sitting in a row on the warm 
sands. 

‘‘About what?” asked Dorothy. 

“About Miss Eloise. You know she 
told us about the mortgage on their little 
house. I asked papa to tell me what a 
mortgage was. At first I thought it was 
something that had been built on and that 
had to be lifted off in some way, but it 
isn’t that at all; it is money that has to 
be paid before they can own the house all 
themselves. I asked papa if he couldn’t 
give them the money, but he said it would 


THE PORCH PARTY 


71 


never do to offer it, for both Miss Eloise 
and Miss Newman were very proud and 
would much rather earn the money them- 
selves even if it took a long time.’’ 

‘^But Miss Eloise can’t earn money; 
she is an invalid,” put in Edna. 

know, but I wish she could. Papa 
said I needn’t worry about it, as the mort- 
gage was not so very big, and the money 
they had to pay on it every year did not 
amount to such a great deal, but I know 
from what Miss Eloise said that she would 
like it to be paid ; she said she would feel 
ever so much more comfortable. ’ ’ 

‘‘Oh, dear, how in the world can any- 
one ever understand about such things as 
interest and mortgages and all that*?” 
said Dorothy. “I don’t believe I ever 
shall get through fractions, let alone in- 
terest.” 

“You see,” Jennie went on, “Miss 
Eloise isn ’t like a Home for the Friendless 


72 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


or anything like that, or we could have a 
bazaar for her.’’ 

course she isn’t a Friendless,” said 
Edna with indignation. 

‘‘That’s just what I said she wasn’t, 
and that is what makes it hard to do things. 
I am so fond of her that I would like to 
have her get anything she wants.” 

“She tells the most lovely stories,” said 
Edna thoughtfully, “but the trouble is, 
she hasn’t the strength to write them 
down.” 

“Yes, but maybe she can some day,” 
Dorothy spoke up. “Don’t you remem- 
ber when we first saw her she couldn’t even 
sit up in her chair, and had to be wheeled 
everywhere.” 

“Yes, I know that, but the doctor says 
she must be very careful and must never 
do anything to tire her back, and writing 
does tire it ; she said so. ’ ’ Edna gave this 
last word. 


THE PORCH PARTY 


73 


They were all very thoughtful for a little 
while after this. Edna employed herself 
in making little piles of sand, scooping it 
up with a purple mussel shell. Dorothy 
merely let the sand slide through her fin- 
gers, while Jennie amused herself by cov- 
ering up one hand with sand and suddenly 
pulling it out of its covering. 

It was while they were thus occupied 
that Emma came down the beach to find 
them. 

‘‘Your mother says you are to come up 
to the house and bring the others with 
you,” she said to Jennie. 

“What does she want us for, Emma?” 

“To see some company that has come.” 

“Oh, very well, I suppose we shall have 
to go. Come on girls.” 

They all arose and followed Emma to 
the house to find that a neighbor had 
driven over with her two children, a little 
girl somewhat younger than either of the 


74 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


three, and a little boy somewhat older. 
Jennie had never met them before, but at 
her mother’s suggestion she bore them off 
to a corner of the porch, leaving the ladies 
to talk together. In spite of there being 
a company of five, the children did not 
seem to get along very comfortably, for the 
visitors were shy and had very little to 
say. 

Miss Eloise from her chair watched 
them all for awhile. She could see that 
very little headway was made, though Jen- 
nie as hostess was doing her best to enter- 
tain. Billy Potter with round eyes stared 
straight ahead, taking interest only in the 
passing of an occasional vessel; Mallie, 
with drooping head responded yes or no 
to the questions put to her, and both vis- 
itors refused to leave their chairs to go 
anywhere or see anything. Presently 
Miss Eloise called Jennie softly and she 
immediately responded. 


THE PORCH PARTY 


75 


‘‘You’re having rather a hard time of 
it, aren’t you dear?” said Miss Eloise. 

“Oh, Miss Eloise, you don’t know what 
sticks they are. I can’t make the little 
girl say anything but yes or no, and the 
boy won’t even say that much; we have all 
tried him.” 

Miss Eloise laughed. “Do you think 
you could wheel me up closer?” 

“Why, of course I shall be delighted 
to.” 

Edna seeing what was taking place, ran 
to help. “Oh, Miss Eloise,” she cried, 
“are you coming to help us out?” 

“I am going to try,” she said smiling. 
And presently the strangers looked up to 
see a sweet face smiling at them from a 
nest of silken pillows. 

It would be a rare child whom Miss 
Eloise could not entertain, and in a few 
moments Billy’s round eyes had removed 
their gaze from the passing ships while 


76 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


Mallie was a delighted listener to one of 
Miss Eloise’s fascinating stories. 

Time passed so rapidly under this treat- 
ment that when, in the course of half an 
hour, Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Eamsey came 
over to where the group sat, they found 
no one ready to move until the tale was 
done, so both ladies sat down to hear its 
close. 

‘^Gee! but that was a fine story, said 
the hitherto silent Billy, when the end of 
the story came. wish you could tell 
’em like that, Mother.” 

‘‘Oh, my dear, I wish I could,” returned 
Mrs. Potter. “What a gift you have. Miss 
Newman. I wish more children could 
have the privilege of hearing you. I 
quite envy Mrs. Eamsey such an institu- 
tion as a self-working reciter of tales.” 

The ladies all laughed and Mrs. Eamsey 
said that her neighbors need not think they 
could send over and borrow this new in- 


THE PORCH PARTY 


77 


stitiition, though she was sure the institu- 
tion was much more entertaining than any 
phonograph. They were all quite merry 
over it, and all the time Edna was thinking 
very hard, and was the most sober one of 
the company. 

After the visitors had departed, the two 
younger of them quite thawed out, and 
promising with great readiness to come 
again, the three little girls returned to 
their place on the sands. 

They were discussing the two Potter 
children when suddenly Edna sang out: 
‘‘I see a boat coming.’’ 

u There are always boats coming and 
boats going, ’ ’ remarked Dorothy ; ^ ^ I don ’t 
think that is anything very unusual.” 

‘^But they don’t often come so close to 
the shore, as if they were making right for 
this little landing,” protested Edna. 

Jennie sprang to her feet. do be- 
lieve it is someone coming here,” she de- 


78 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


dared, ^‘but I don’t know who it is. I 
think it is one of the boats from the hotel. 
There are two pretty big boys in it and a 
smaller boy. Yes, they are going to land. 
Shall we stay here or go to the house ? I 
am sure I don’t know them.” 

The other two were standing up by now. 
They watched the boat till it came up to 
the little landing, saw one of the boys, the 
smaller one, scramble ashore and then the 
others row off. The smaller boy came on 
directly to where the little girls were 
standing. As soon as he caught sight of 
them he took off his hat and walked 
faster. 

Then Edna recognized him: ^‘Why it’s 
Louis, my cousin Louis,” she cried, and 
ran to meet him. ‘‘Why, Louis Mor- 
rison,” she greeted him as he came up, 
“where in the world did you come from"?” 

“From the hotel,” responded Louis. 
“Mother and I are staying there and 


THE PORCH PARTY 


79 


mother had a letter from your mother tell- 
ing her that you were here and where you 
were staying, so when A1 and Phil Haines 
said they were coming out in a boat I got 
them to leave me here. I say, it’s fine, 
isn’t it?” 

Just what was fine, Edna did not stop 
to inquire, but turned to her friends to 
say, ^^This is my cousin Louis Morrison; 
Louis, this is Jennie Eamsey and this is 
Dorothy Evans, my dearest friends.” 

^‘What were you doing when I came 
up?” asked Louis. 

‘‘We weren’t doing anything in par- 
ticular. It is Jennie’s afternoon to 
choose — we take turns in choosing how 
we will spend our afternoons, you see — 
and she hadn’t made up her mind ex- 
actly.” Edna looked inquiringly at 
Jennie as if to ask what the programme 
was to be. 

Jennie, like the little lady she was. 


80 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 

turned to Louis. ‘^What would you like 
to do?’’ she asked. 

^^Oh, I don’t know.” Louis looked a 
little embarrassed at being thus appealed 
to. ‘‘What do you generally do?” 

“Sometimes we get Cap’n Si to take us 
out rowing, sometimes we go for a drive, 
and if no one else is going to use the auto- 
mobile, mother will let Mack take us out 
in that, but I am afraid she is going to 
use it this afternoon. We could take the 
pony, though, or we could go out in the 
boat.” 

“Have you a boat of your own? I can 
row,” Louis returned. 

“No, I haven’t a boat of my own, but 
papa says I shall have one when I am old 
enough. He never lets anyone take me 
out but Cap’n Si.” 

“Ho,” exclaimed Louis, “I could take 
you as well as not.” 

Here Jennie became quite dignified 


THE PORCH PARTY 


81 


and drew herself up to her small height. 

believe it is my afternoon to choose/’ 
she said turning to the two girls; “I 
think we’d better go to drive. I will tell 
Peter to bring up the pony and cart in 
half an hour.” She walked away toward 
the stables, Dorothy joined her and Edna 
was left with her cousin feeling half in- 
dignant with Louis and half miffed with 
the girls. Why couldn’t they have asked 
her and Louis to go to the stables'? They 
might have known Louis, being a boy 
would be interested in the horses. 

She was roused from her thoughts by 
Louis who said, say, Edna, you don’t 
want to go to drive, do you? It’s stupid 
to just go driving up and down the roads ; 
it’s lots more exciting to go out in a boat. 
I like a sail-boat, don’t you?” 

‘‘I’ve never been in one,” said Edna 
truthfully. “Mr. Eamsey doesn’t think 
they are very safe, but he says we shall 


82 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


all go on a sailing party some day soon/’ 
hope I can go, too,” returned Louis. 
Then, realizing that it would be best for 
himself if he tried to be more gracious to 
Edna’s friends, he said, reckon after 
all, it will be nice to take a drive. Per- 
haps the driver will let me drive a little. ’ ’ 

^^The driver is Jennie,” Edna told him. 
She began to be a little troubled about this 
new element which had suddenly come 
in to disturb the harmony of the days. 
She knew that Jennie was rather tena- 
cious of her rights in the matter of her 
pony, though she was generosity itself in 
other things. She wished that they were 
going out with Cap’n Si instead of in the 
pony-cart. She wasn’t sure whether the 
girls wanted herself and cousin to follow 
them, and yet she did not like to stand as 
if waiting. Let’s go up to the house,” 
she said suddenly. 

This proved an excellent move, for they 


THE PORCH PARTY 


83 


met Mrs. Ramsey just as they were going 
up the steps, and when Edna explained 
who her companion was, Mrs. Ramsey 
said, ^‘Why, that is very nice. I must 
go and call on Mrs. Morrison. I was go- 
ing to the hotel anyhow. Where are the 
others, Edna?’^ 

^^They went to the stable to order Peter 
to get out the pony and cart so we could 
all go to drive. 

‘‘Wouldn’t you rather go in the motor- 
car? There is plenty of room, for Miss 
Newman thinks it better Miss Eloise 
should not give up her afternoon rest, and 
will not leave her by herself. I can have 
Mack leave me at the hotel and while I 
am making my calls he can take you chil- 
dren around by the Cape, and you can pick 
me up on the way back. How do you like 
that plan?” 

“I think it would be lovely,” said Edna 
looking at Louis for confirmation. 


84 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


Suits me down to the ground/’ said 
Louis. 

‘‘Then I’ll telephone down to the stables 
and tell Peter never mind about the pony, 
and I’ll ask him to send Jennie and Doro- 
thy up to me.” 

Edna was much relieved at this out- 
come of the difficulty, for she knew there 
could be no attempt made to drive the 
motor-car whatever Louis might want to 
do in the matter of driving the pony. He 
was an only child and rather a spoiled one, 
having had his way at home, and being 
seldom thwarted by his over-indulgent 
parents. Edna was fond of him in a way, 
but she feared he would prove a marplot 
if he spent much time at the Ramseys, 
and she began to wonder how long he and 
his mother were to be at the hotel. She 
did not like to ask, and just then the auto- 
mobile appeared with the other two in it. 

“We’re not going in the pony cart after 


THE PORCH PARTY 


85 


all,” explained Jennie. ^‘Did you know, 
Edna?” 

^^Tes,” she replied, ^^your mother said 
so.” She felt that the situation was re- 
lieved of its awkwardness because Mrs. 
Eamsey would be with them, and while 
she wasn’t exactly offended with Jennie 
and Dorothy, she felt that she ought to 
be loyal to Louis, and now there would be 
no need of straining a point either one 
way or the other. Therefore when she 
and Louis settled down on the seat by 
Mrs. Ramsey all promised most favorably, 
and since Louis was bound to enjoy him- 
self there was no friction. 

Leaving Mrs. Ramsey at the big hotel 
some distance beyond, they enjoyed a spin 
of half an hour and then returned. Mrs. 
Morrison came out to greet Edna and to 
tell Louis he had best remain instead of 
continuing the drive to the Ramseys. 

^‘Oh, bother,” exclaimed Louis. ‘‘I 


86 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


don’t see why I can’t go back. I don’t 
have to hang around here all the time.” 

‘‘No, but Louis, you will have a long 
way to return, and besides you have been 
away all the afternoon.” 

“Oh, but that doesn’t make any dif- 
ference,” Louis continued to parley. 
“I haven’t seen Edna for ages.” 

“But you can see her again to-morrow. 
Come in, dear, and I will tell you about a 
nice plan Mrs. Eamsey has been arrang- 
ing.” 

This brought Louis to a sense of pro- 
priety, for if he showed himself unpleas- 
ant he might not be included in all the 
nice plans, so out he clambered. 

“Thank Mrs. Eamsey for inviting you 
to go in her automobile,” whispered his 
mother, and Louis gave his thanks heart- 
ily, calling out as the automobile started 
off, “Good-bye, Edna, I’ll see you to- 
morrow.” 


THE PORCH PARTY 


87 


Jennie and Dorothy glanced at one an- 
other meaningly as he said this, and Mrs. 
Eanisey perceiving the look said, have 
thought of a nice plan, children.” 

‘‘Tell us, tell us,” they clamored. 

“I am going to let you give a porch 
party to-morrow.” 

“What is that. Mother?” asked Jen- 
nie. 

“Why, it is just this : I have been think- 
ing how very hard it must be for those 
mothers who are boarding at the hotel 
with restless children and who must find 
it difficult to entertain them. Many of 
these mothers do not get a moment ’s rest, 
and would be so glad of a little time when 
they knew their children were safe some- 
where, and were having a good time as 
well, so I thought I would gather up some 
of these children to-morrow for a porch- 
party and let Miss Eloise tell them some 
of her stories. You know there is noth- 


88 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL^S HOLIDAYS 


ing she loves so well as to get a parcel of 
children around her, and the way she 
keeps them as still as mice is a perfect 
marvel to me. I want to do something 
of the kind for her before she goes, and 
I am sure she would like this better than 
any grown-up affair. What do you think 
of it?’’ 

‘‘It would be fine,” cried the little girls 
in chorus. 

‘ ‘ But what do you mean. Mother, by say- 
ing before Miss Eloise goes. She isn’t 
surely going soon?” 

“Why, I am afraid she and her sister 
have made up their minds that they 
must.” 

“Just as she is getting along so nicely. 
What a shame!” cried Jennie. “Can’t 
you possibly persuade her to stay?” 

“I have tried my best, my dear, but you 
know they are very proud, and have said 
that while they are very grateful for the 


THE PORCH PARTY 


89 


invitation to stay longer that they could 
not impose upon me to the extent of more 
than the original time for which I invited 
them; that was for a month, and the 
month was up last week.” 

^^Oh, Mother, why didn’t you say all 
summer while you were about it?” 

^ ^ Why didn ’t I ? I think it was because 
I was afraid if I made it so wholesale they 
would decline to come at all, and I thought 
once they did come it would be easy to per- 
suade them to extend their visit, if it 
proved to be the best place for Miss 
Eloise.” 

‘^Oh, dear,” sighed Jennie, just hate 
to think of her going back to that hot city. 
Isn’t there some way we could manage 
to make them stay somewhere, even if it 
were not at our house? Why couldn’t 
they take a little cottage or bungalow or 
something and stay till school begins?” 

^‘Even little cottages and bungalows 


90 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


cost something, and I am afraid they could 
not afford even the smallest of those.” 

^^Oh, dear,” Jennie sighed again. “I 
never before wanted school in smnmer 
time, but now I wish there were one that 
Miss Newman could teach in so they would 
have to stay.” 

‘‘Why, my dear,” exclaimed Mrs. Eam- 
sey and then stopped suddenly. 

‘ ‘ What were you going to say. Mother ? ’ ’ 

“Nothing, only you have given me an 
idea. Mack, how much time have we"?” 

Mack glanced at the clock in front of 
him. “About half an hour, Mrs. Ram- 
sey. It is just six.” 

“Then you can take me to the Point. 
Do you children want to go? I shall be 
making a business call only. Perhaps 
you’d better go home, for Miss Newman 
and Miss Eloise will think we have de- 
serted them. I will be back to dinner. 
Just go as far as the gate. Mack. The 


THE PORCH PARTY 


91 


children won’t mind walking the rest of 
the way.” 

So the children were set down at the 
gate and the motor-car went off in a rush. 
This latest talk had driven all thoughts 
of Louis out of mind, and the three little 
girls began to discuss the porch party with 
great eagerness. wonder if we may 
tell Miss Eloise,” said Edna. 

Jennie thought they would better not, 
but they could speak of their regret in 
her leaving. 

They found the two sisters settled in 
their favorite corner of the wide porch. 
^‘Oh, Miss Eloise,” cried Jennie, ‘‘we 
think it is just dreadful for you to think 
of going so soon. Why, I never dreamed 
but that you were going to stay all sum- 
mer.” 

“But, my dear, think of how long we 
have been here. Nothing we could ever 
do would repay your dear mother for all 


92 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


her kindness, and we certainly would 
prove ourselves very ungrateful if we 
imposed ourselves upon her to such an 
extent.’^ 

^^It wouldn’t be imposing,” protested 
Jennie. 

‘‘It might not be if we could return the 
hospitality, but that we cannot do, and 
so, you see — ” 

“I don’t see at all,” Jennie persisted. 

“But we do,” put in Miss Nevmian. 
“We feel very much gratified that you 
don’t want us to go, and we shall never 
forget how happy a season we have had 
here.” 

“It will be something to treasure for 
the rest of my days,” said Miss Eloise 
her eyes fixed on the glittering sea, now 
gathering radiance from the evening sky. 
“Isn’t it lovely?” she said. “Don’t you 
want to sit down here and enjoy it with 
us?” 


THE PORCH PARTY 


93 


‘‘We must go and dress for dinner/’ 
Jennie told her, “but we will hurry.” 

“However, they were not ready till 
dinner was announced and Mrs. Eamsey 
had returned. Her eyes were bright and 
there was a little excited flush on her 
cheeks. The talk at the table was of the 
porch party, the prospect of which de- 
lighted Miss Eloise, but after dinner, Mrs. 
Ramsey said: “Miss Newman, I want to 
have a talk with you.” So she and Miss 
Newman took themselves to the further 
corner of the porch while the little girls 
gathered around Miss Eloise till the stars 
came out and it was too cool to sit out 
longer. 


CHAPTER V 

THE LITTLE BUNGALOW 

Immediately after breakfast the next 
morning Mrs. Ramsey bore off Miss New- 
man in the automobile, and the two were 
gone most of the morning. ‘ ‘ And there is 
the porch party this afternoon,” said 
Jennie. ^Ht must be something very im- 
portant or mother wouldn’t stay so long.” 

‘‘What do you think it could be?” 
asked Edna. Louis had not yet made his 
appearance and the little girl’s had re- 
sumed their old harmonious attitude to- 
ward one another. 

“I’m sure I don’t know, but I think it 
must be something about Miss Newman.” 

“Let’s ask Miss Eloise if she knows,’’ 
suggested Dorothy. 

But Miss Eloise could give them no sat- 
94 


THE LITTLE BUNGALOW 


95 


isf action. ^‘Sister said they were going 
off on a little matter of business and that 
she would tell me when they came back,” 
she informed the children. 

^^Well, lunch is on the table,” said 
Edna, ^^so we won’t have to wait very 
long.” 

She was quite right for at this moment 
the two ladies arrived. ^‘What did keep 
you so forever. Mother?” asked Jennie 
as her mother joined the others who were 
already at table. 

^^Well, my dear, it is quite a story. We 
have had a great morning of it, and as 
soon as we get something to eat we will 
tell you all about it. I am sure Miss 
Newman is half starved, for we have been 
from Dan to Beersheba this morning.” 

Those sound like Bible places,” spoke 
up Edna. 

^‘So they are,” said Mrs. Eamsey 
laughing, and though Edna was puzzled 


X 


96 A DEAR LITTLE GlRL^S HOLIDAYS 

she did not stop to inquire further be- 
cause just here Miss Newman said, And 
what do you think we have been doing?” 
And then before anyone could guess, 
We’ve been house-hunting,” she said. 

‘^House-himting,” repeated Miss 
Eloise. ^‘Sister, what do you mean?” 

Then Mrs. Eamsey broke in with, ‘‘And 
the best of it is we have not hunted in 
vain.” 

This all sounded so very mysterious 
that everyone began askhag questions un- 
til Mrs. Eamsey cried. “Do be quiet all 
of you and we’ll try to tell you.” So 
everyone subsided into expectancy and 
she began. “The house is for Miss New- 
man and Miss Eloise, and it is the Dun- 
can’s bungalow.” 

“Oh, Mother,” Jennie broke in, “that 
dear cunning little place at the edge of 
the woods? You don’t mean that.” 

“That is just w^hat I do mean and it 


t 




THE LITTLE BUNGALOW 


97 


has all come about in the loveliest way, 
but I am not going to tell you anything 
more till after lunch. You have had 
sauce enough for your curiosity and you 
can wait.’’ 

^‘It all sounds so bewildering that I am 
not sure whether I am awake or not,” 
said Miss Eloise. ‘‘Either I am dream- 
ing or I shall have to believe in fairies. 
I think I would rather believe in fairies, 
for I am sure a very good one has been at 
work.” 

Luncheon was disposed of in such short 
order that Mrs. Eamsey declared that 
everyone would have an attack of indiges- 
tion on account of such hasty eating, but 
she agreed to gratify the curiosity so very 
apparent and led the way to the porch 
wdiere they all usually settled for a little 
talk after meals. 

“Shall I tell or will you. Miss New- 
man?” she asked. 


98 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


You, please, for you can begin further 
back of the facts than I can who did not 
come into them till this morning/’ 

‘‘Well, then,” began Mrs. Eamsey, “it 
all began with Jennie.” 

“With me?” came in a surprised voice 
from, Jennie. 

“Yes, you,” Mrs. Eamsey nodded. 
“It was when we were out in the automo- 
bile yesterday afternoon and were talking 
of how soon Miss Newman and Miss 
Eloise must end their visit, and you said 
you wished they could stay and wasn’t 
there some little cottage they could take. 
Then you further set the ball rolling by 
adding that you wished there were a school 
that kept open all summer so Miss New- 
man could be occupied there. That was 
the very beginning, for it set me thinking. 
I remembered that Mrs. Duncan had said 
to me the last time I saw her, that she was 
afraid Eudolph wouldn’t be able to enter 


THE LITTLE BUNGALOW 


99 


college this fall as he had lost so much 
time on accoimt of his illness last spring, 
but that she did not want to send him 
away anywhere to prepare for his ex- 
aminations as he needed the sea air and 
the attention he would get at home. 
Moreover, her husband objected to his 
having a resident tutor for various rea- 
sons, and they thought Eudolph would 
overtax his strength if he went into Bos- 
ton every day. All this suddenly came up 
to me and I said to myself. Why shouldn’t 
Miss Newman be as capable of coaching 
him as a tutor? That was the first 
thought, and then I remembered the little 
bungalow. I knew the Duncans had met 
with some losses this year, that their two 
eldest sons, for whom the bungalow was 
built, had gone abroad, and that maybe 
they would let Miss Newman have it in 
exchange for coaching Rudolph. That is 
what took me over there last evening.” 


100 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


Miss Eloise’s face was lit up as with a 
flame and her lovely eyes were like stars. 
‘‘Oh,’’ she breathed, “didn’t I say I had 
to believe in a good fairy?” 

“So,” Mrs. Ramsey went on, “I had 
a most satisfactory interview with Mrs. 
Dimcan who promised to talk over the 
matter with her husband when he should 
come home last evening, and I went away 
promising to go over this morning with 
Miss Newman. Mr. Duncan stayed at 
home to see her and we talked and talked, 
first with Mrs. Duncan, then with Mr. 
Duncan and last of all with Rudolph, and 
before we came away it was all settled. 
Miss Newman is to have the bungalow 
and Rudolph is to have the coaching.” 

‘ ‘ Good ! Good ! ” cried J ennie clapping 
her hands. “Did Miss Newman see the 
bungalow?” 

“Yes, we went all through it.” 

“Isn’t it a dear little place? I went 


THE LITTLE BUNGALOW 


101 


all through it, too. Oh, Miss Eloise, it 
is so cunning. There are just four 
rooms : a living room with a big fireplace, 
two bedrooms and a cunning kitchen. 
The boys used to have spreads there, and 
would cook all sorts of messes. There is 
a bath-room, too. You can have either 
salt water or fresh water, just as we 
have.” 

Miss Eloise put out her hand to clasp 
her sister’s. ^‘It sounds too good to be 
true,” she whispered. 

^‘But, Mamma,” cried Jennie suddenly, 
^^have you forgotten the porch party? 
It is almost time for the children to 
come.” 

^‘Dear me!” exclaimed Mrs. Eamsey, 
very nearly forgot, though I told 
Emma what preparations to make, and I 
am sure it will be all right. Still, you 
little girls had best go change your frocks 
so as to be ready.” 


102 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


The three flew upstairs chattering like 
magpies, and when up they flew around 
excitedly so as to get down again to ask 
more questions though this they were not 
able to do as the very flrst relay of guests 
arrived before they were quite dressed. 
These happened to be the Potters. They 
were followed by Louis and two other 
boys from the hotel, and then the arrivals 
did not cease till twenty children were 
established around Miss Eloise. For an 
hour they were delighted listeners, for it 
seemed as if this teller of tales had never 
been in better spirits nor had she ever told 
a more entrancing story, and when at last 
it came to an end there were many long 
drawn “Ahs’’ which showed that no one 
was ready to have her stop. 

Then the carriages and automobiles be- 
gan coming up and the children were 
whirled away, though in several cases the 
mothers who had come for them remained 


THE LITTLE BUNGALOW 


103 


to speak to Miss Eloise, and one or two 
remained in earnest conversation with 
Mrs. Eamsey long after the others had 
gone. 

It had been such an exciting day for 
Miss Eloise that she retired very early, 
and the little girls sat by themselves in a 
corner of the living-room while Mrs. 
Eamsey and Miss Newman talked in a 
low tone before the open fire. The even- 
ing was cool and it was not only too chilly 
to sit on the porch, but none too warm for 
the fire. The little girls themselves, 
though animated enough at first, soon 
began to grow drowsy and presently 
Edna’s head w^as in Jennie’s lap while 
Jennie’s head w^as on Dorothy’s shoulder, 
and Dorothy herself was propped up 
against the wall trying in vain to keep 
her eyes open. The murmur of voices 
went on and in a few minutes Jennie, find- 
ing that her prop was beginning to sway 


104 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


over toward a chair, roused up to hear 
her mother say : 

^^Are you sure she will not find it too 
much of a task, Miss Newman?’’ 

am quiet sure she will not, for she 
has her Children’s Hour every day in the 
city, and she will be so rejoiced at the idea 
of earning something that she will be more 
than ever eager to do it. Then, consider, 
Mrs. Ramsey, how much stronger she is.” 

Of course this must be about Miss 
Eloise, but what could she be going to do 
to enable her to earn money? Jennie was 
wide awake at once. She had more than 
once heard Miss Eloise long to be earn- 
ing something, and now she was going to 
do it. Rather unceremoniously Edna’s 
head was transferred to Dorothy’s lap 
and Jennie got up to go to the two by the 
fire. 

‘‘Oh, Mamma,” she said, “I do so want 
to know what you are talking about. Is 


THE LITTLE BUNGALOW 


105 


it Miss Eloise and what is she going to 

dor’ 

^‘Dear me,” said Mrs. Eamsey, 
thought you children had gone into the 
other room, you were all so quiet.” 

think we were all half asleep. I 
know Edna is in Dreamland, and I think 
Dorothy is, too.” 

‘^Well, my dear,” spoke up Miss New- 
man, ‘‘I am sure Eloise will not object to 
your knowing that when we get into our 
little bungalow she is to have a porch 
party of her own every day. Several of 
the ladies who were here this afternoon, 
said they would be so pleased if she would 
agree to give an hour each day to the tell- 
ing of tales to a certain number of chil- 
dren, and offered to pay very liberally for 
it. Many of the ladies are boarding, and 
would like a quiet hour when they could 
be sure their restless little children were 
not annoying anyone by their noise, and 


106 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


when this plan was proposed they were 
more than pleased.” 

‘‘And what did Miss Eloise say?” asked 
J ennie. “Does she know ? ’ ’ 

“Oh, yes, for she had to be consulted, 
of course. I have seldom seen her so 
pleased.” 

“Then I am very glad,” said Jennie. 
“May I tell the other girls?” 

‘ ‘ Certainly you may. ’ ’ 

“And since you are all tired out I 
think you’d better run up to bed,” said 
her mother. “It has been a very full day 
and we shall all turn in early.” 

Thus charged Jennie went over to rouse 
the others who, though still sleepy, were 
ready to show interest in what Jennie had 
to tell them, and were heard talking of it 
all the way up the stairs. 

A more careful examination of the lit- 
tle bungalow showed that there would be 
some things wanted for the entire comfort 


THE LITTLE BUNGATjOW 


107 


of the Newman sisters, but these Mrs. 
Eamsey insisted upon furnishing, or at 
least lending from her own home, so the 
next week saw the inmates happy as two 
birds in a nest. Cap’n Si’s grand-daugh- 
ter was engaged to come over every morn- 
ing to do up the dishes and help get dinner 
and the rest was easy enough. Miss New- 
man declared. Everyone missed Miss 
Eloise from her place on the porch, but 
she was so happy in her new surround- 
ings, that all rejoiced for her. The little 
girls found amusement enough and man- 
aged to get along very well indeed when 
only the three were together, but when 
Louis appeared there was nearly always 
sure to be discord. 

Therefore one morning when Louis was 
seen coming in the gate, Dorothy gave an 
impatient ''Oh, pshaw! I thought we were 
going to have a nice pleasant time to-day, 
and here comes Louis.” 


108 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


‘‘I wish you wouldn’t talk that way 
about my cousin,” said Edna, her loyal 
spirit rising within her. 

^‘1 can’t help it if he is your cousin, he 
is always doing or saying something to 
stir up a fuss. I don’t see why he likes 
to play with girls, anyhow. I should 
think he would much rather play with 
boys.” 

“There aren’t any but very big boys or 
very little ones at the hotel,” explained 
Edna. 

“Then why doesn’t he go play with 
Billy Potter?” 

^ ‘ Billy Potter, that stick ? ’ ’ Edna spoke 
in great contempt. “Why he is such a 
lump that he couldn’t play with anyone.” 

“Well, at least he wouldn’t fuss with 
them. We were going to play dolls, this 
morning, and Louis will never do that.” 

“I’m going to play dolls, whatever 
Louis does or says,” spoke up Jennie. 


THE LITTLE BUNGALOW 


109 


‘‘So am I then,” declared Dorothy. 
“What are you going to do, Edna?” 

“I don’t know,” said Edna doubtfully. 
She dearly loved dolls, but she did not in- 
tend to desert Louis. 

“Well, if you want to play with Louis 
you can,” continued Dorothy; “but un- 
less he will play with dolls he cannot come 
with us.” 

Edna turned slowly and went forward 
to meet Louis who had crossed the lawn 
and was nearly up to them. “Hallo,” 
said he. 

“Hallo,” returned Edna rather deject- 
edly. “The girls say they are going to 
play with the dolls out in the summer 
house; I don’t suppose you want to play 
with them.” 

“With dolls? Not I. If that’s what 
they are going to do you and I can go 
down to the beach and build a sandcastle 
or go fishing or something.” 


110 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


‘ ‘ Oh, not fishing, ’ ^ replied Edna quickly. 
Her tender heart could never stand that. 
^H’d just as lief build castles though.” 
She followed Louis down to the beach and 
for a while they played quite contentedly. 

After a while Louis tired of castles and 
proposed that they go further along. 
know where there is a cave,” he said. 
^‘We can play at being robbers, or smug- 
glers.” 

^‘How far is it?” asked Edna. 

^‘Oh, not very far.” Louis waved his 
hand toward the point which curved be- 
yond them. ‘Ht’s just down that way.” 

They set off together along the beach, 
but though they climbed over great boul- 
ders and scrambled around scraggy roots 
of trees the place was ever beyond them. 

think it is awfully far,” said Edna 
at last. 

^‘Oh, it can’t be far now; the boys told 
me it was this side the point.” 






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THE LITTLE BUNGALOW 


111 


but I though you knew just where 
it was.’’ 

^‘So I do. Didn’t the boys tell meT’ 
Louis spoke with such assurance that 
Edna followed on and was presently re- 
lieved to hear him say : 

^ ‘ Look there. What did I tell you ? ’ ’ 

Sure enough just ahead of them was a 
hollowed place in the bank which might 
easily be called a cave. The bank was 
quite high just here and stretched down 
almost to the sea so there was but a small 
stretch of sand in front of the cave. The 
children clambered into the shelter to rest, 
but Louis was not content to sit still for 
long. 

‘‘I’m going out to explore,” he said. 
“You sit here till I come back. I won’t 
stay long.” 

He was as good as his word for in a few 
minutes he returned. “Guess what,” he 
began. “There’s a boat out there. I’m 


112 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL^S HOLIDAYS 


going to borrow it and then we can pre- 
tend you are a female smuggler or you can 
be a robber maid and will rescue me to rob 
me. No, I’d rather have it the other way. 
I’ll be the robber and will find you in this 
sea cave with a hoard of jewels that were 
left with you after a shipwreck. I’ll go 
get the boat and row in.” 

‘‘Oh, Louis, indeed you’d better not,” 
said Edna in fear lest he be too foolhardy. 

“But I’m not going out to sea really. 
The boat is just round the little bend the 
other side of us. I don’t mean to steal it. 
I’ll take it back when we get through 
playing.” 

‘ ‘ Please don ’t, Louis. I ’m so afraid you 
will upset or something, besides I don’t 
think you ought to take the boat even for 
a little while. Suppose the owner should 
come and want it.” 

“Oh, no, he won’t.” Louis was always 
very ready to believe things were going to 


THE LITTLE BUNGALOW 


113 


happen just to suit him. ‘‘Isn’t that just 
like a girl to get all worked up over a little 
thing like that? Why, I rowed ever so 
far the other day, and this is only a few 
yards.” 

“But suppose, just suppose the boat 
should leak. It may be an old one.” 

“I’ll examine it first. You don’t have 
to come, you know. All you have to do is 
to be the robber maid, no, I mean the ship- 
wrecked one. You might be gathering 
some pebbles for make-believe jewels. 
You can hide them in that corner and I 
will discover them. You must be asleep 
when I come.” 

Seeing no persuasion was of any avail, 
Edna watched Louis go off and then set 
herself to work to gather pebbles. This 
was rather a pleasant amusement, and she 
soon had a nice little pile of those which 
were either milky white, which showed 
some faint color, or which shone with 


114 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


spots of mica or quartz. Her jewels in 
order, she began to think it high time to be 
expecting the robber, so she lay down on 
the sand to compose herself in pretended 
slumber. 

She lay there for some time, and being 
tired could almost have dropped off into a 
real sleep, only that she felt anxious about 
her cousin. Why didn ’t he come ? ‘ ‘ Per- 
haps he is fishing, or maybe he is talking 
to the man that owns the boat. The man 
might have come up and he might be 
angry with Louis for meddling. I think 
111 go and peep.” 

She crawled out of the cave surprised to 
find the strip of beach much narrower 
than she remembered it. Really there was 
no beach to speak of now, for just as she 
was venturing out a wave came curling up 
to her very feet. She retreated, a good 
deal alarmed. The cave was high enough 
for her to stand upright, but was not very 


THE LITTLE BUNGALOW 


115 


deep. She stood for a moment watching 
the water at the entrance. It didn’t come 
so far in the next time, but still it was 
quite far enough to cause alarm. Suppose 
the tide were rising and it should come 
up, up into the very furthest corner of the 
cave. The thought filled her with terror, 
and gave sudden purpose to her move- 
ments. She would fiee while there was 
yet time. She dashed out, unheeding the 
water through which she splashed, and 
which came over her ankles. Her main 
thought was to climb up the bank and get 
beyond any possibility of the tide’s over- 
taking her. Scrambling, falling, clutch- 
ing at the bayberry bushes which fastened 
themselves securely into the soil, she man- 
aged at last to reach the top. From here 
she believed she could see up and down the 
coast. But all at once it was made evi- 
dent to her that she could not see, for a 
chill grey fog had crept in, and was en- 


116 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


veloping land and sea. Strain her eyes as 
she would there was no house visible, 
neither was there sign of Louis nor the 
boat. 


CHAPTEE VI 


IN THE FOG 

For a moment Edna stood still bewil- 
dered, then she ran a little way along the 
bank calling ‘‘Louis! Louis terrified at 
receiving no answer. The bank which 
here reached its greatest height, sloped 
gently down on the north side, and curved 
away from the sea, leaving a tiny cove in 
which Louis had seen the boat. There 
might be another cave on that side. Edna 
resolved to go down and investigate. 

The going down was much easier than 
the coming up, for at some distance away 
the shore was nearly level with the bank, 
and one had but to walk to reach it, no 
scrambling necessary. The grass, short 
and stubbly, was strimg with fine mist and 
117 


118 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


at each step Edna grew wetter and wetter, 
but she did not heed this, fox her whole 
thought was centered upon Louis, and she 
was imagining all sorts of things. Per- 
haps he had drifted away in the boat far 
out of sight. Perhaps the boat’s owner 
had seen him and had borne him off to be^ 
locked up for meddling with another’s 
property. Perhaps he was really out 
there now on the water, hidden by the fog, 
and was trying to row ashore. 

She reached the beach at last. The tide 
was coming in higher and higher, and was 
sweeping around the point where the cave 
was, rushing in and out with a mighty 
noise. Edna shuddered as she thought; 
suppose she had not been able to get away 
before now and had been hemmed in on 
both sides by the waves. Once in a while 
the fog lifted slightly, and she strained her 
eyes for a sight of the boat. Once she was 
sure she saw it, but a second view dis- 


IN THE FOG 


119 


closed a lobsterman coming in from haul- 
ing his lobster-pots. He rowed steadily, 
but passed by too far out for the little girl 
to attract his attention. It had grown 
very damp and chilly, and the east wind 
cut like a knife. The child’s clothing was 
wet through and her teeth chattered as she 
faced the sea. She was not quite sure 
where she was, for she had never walked 
so far along the shore, but had reached 
different places by way of the road. 
Moreover, the fog hid all landmarks, and 
there was not even a fisherman’s hut to 
guide her. 

At last she made up her mind that it was 
useless to stand there and concluded that 
she would best turn away from the shore 
and try to find the road. She went up the 
bank again by the easier way and then 
turned at right angles, stumbling through 
the stubbly grass and over hummocks. 
She thought she was going in a straight 


120 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


line, but she was really zig-zagging across 
the field and bearing toward the north in- 
stead of the south. 

Suddenly she saw through the veil of 
mist, a small building ahead. ‘^It must 
be a fisherman’s hut,” she told herself. 
‘‘Perhaps it belongs to the man who owns 
the boat. I’ll go there and see.” This 
gave her a new impetus and she hurried 
on, and presently was surprised to see 
that it was not a fisherman’s house at all, 
but a small bungalow, set with back to a 
grove of trees and facing a small strip of 
beach. “Why,” exclaimed Edna, de- 
lightedly, “if it isn’t the little bimgalow 
where Miss Eloise lives. Well, I am sur- 
prised. I hadn’t an idea I was any^vhere 
near it.” 

On she went with better heart. Here 
were friends close at hand who could ad- 
vise and comfort her. She reached the 
door and lifted the little brass knocker. 


IN THE FOG 


121 


The door was opened to her by Miss New- 
man. 

<<Why, Edna Conway, what in the 
world brought you over here by your- 
self?” was Miss Newman’s surprised 
greeting. ^‘Why, the child is drenched 
to the skin. Come right in to the fire.” 
She ushered her into the tiny living-room 
where a cheerful fire was blazing on the 
hearth. Before this Miss Eloise was sit- 
ting. ^‘It is Edna, Ellie,” said her sister, 
‘^and the child is soaking wet. My dear 
child, why did you come out in this fog 
wearing that flimsy gingham? And no 
rubbers, no coat? What were you think- 
ing of?” 

This was too much for Edna and her lip 
quivered, the tears filled her eyes and she 
stood forlornly without saying a word. 

You poor little dear,” said Miss Eloise, 
who was watching her. ‘‘You shall not 
scold her, sister. You do not know what 


122 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


accident may have happened. Come over 
here, darling child, and tell me all about 
it.’’ 

The effect of Miss Eloise’s sjnnpathy 
finished what Miss Newman’s censure be- 
gan and Edna burst into tears, sobbing 
out. ^Mt — it was all — all nice and bright 
when we came away from the — the house, 
and — and I d — didn’t know there was go- 
ing to — ^to be any fog.” 

^‘Of course you didn’t,” said Miss 
Eloise soothingly. ‘‘What did I tell you, 
sister ? Go on, dear, and tell us how it all 
happened.” 

“Louis and I went to find the cave, and 
it was ever so far.” Edna drew a long 
breath but checked her tears. The fire 
was very comforting and Miss Eloise was 
a tower of refuge. “Then he went off to 
get a boat and was coming back to the cave. 
I was going to be a shipwrecked maiden 
with jewels and he was a bold robber, but 


IN THE FOG 


123 


— but he didn’t come, and the tide — the 
tide — ” Here she broke down into a sec- 
ond fit of weeping. 

There, there, don’t try to tell any more 
just yet. You see, ’ ’ she said to her sister, 
^^the child is all wrought up. There is no 
knowing what she may have been through. 
She ought to have some dry shoes and 
stockings, sister, and she’d better take off 
that soaking frock. That little blue flan- 
nel kimono of mine will be just the thing.” 

So Miss Newman went off to bring back 
the dry things, helped Edna off with the 
wet frock and on with the dry shoes and 
stockings, and by that time she had be- 
come calmer. The shoes were not very 
much too big, and the kimono was not 
much too long, for Miss Eloise was a tiny 
creature. ‘^Now do you think you could 
tell us the rest,” said Miss Nevunan tak- 
ing example from her sister and speaking 
very gently. 


124 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


try,” said Edna more at her ease, 
waited ever so long for Louis to come, 
and he didn’t. I was inside the cave, you 
know, and I was pretending to be asleep, 
and when I knew it was too much of a long 
time I thought I would go out and find 
Louis, and then I saw the fog and the tide 
was coming in just as fast. I was so 
scared, for I knew it might come all the 
way up into the cave, and so I just tore 
out as hard as I could. It was up real 
high, for it splashed ’way over my feet. 
I had to scramble up the bank for the wa- 
ter was coming up all over the beach and 
there wasn’t any other way. When I got 
to the top I saw that I could get down very 
easily on the other side. There was a lit- 
tle cove there, a tiny little one, and I 
guessed that was where Louis saw the 
boat, but the boat wasn’t there and I called 
and called but nobody answered. Then I 
went down as far as I dared but I couldn’t 


IN THE FOG 


125 


find Louis. Oh, Miss Eloise, I am so 
afraid he is drowned.’’ 

Both ladies looked very grave, for there 
seemed likelihood of this being the case. 
Edna’s tears began to flow again, and she 
buried her head in Miss Eloise ’s lap. 

^‘Poor little girl, you have had a sorry 
time of it,” said Miss Eloise, gently ca- 
ressing the child’s head. ‘‘What do you 
think had better be done, sister?” 

Miss Newman sat thoughtfully looking 
into the Are for a few minutes before she 
answered, then she said: “I think I’d bet- 
ter go up to the Duncan’s. They have a 
telephone, you know, and can let Mrs. 
Ramsey know where Edna is. She will be 
worried, I am sure. Then we can tele- 
phone to the hotel and find out if Louis is 
there. We need not necessarily alarm his 
mother, but if he is not there I will get 
Rudolph Duncan to go out and inquire 
about whose boat that was which Louis 


126 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


saw by tbe cave, and we may discover 
something that way. Rudolph will like to 
go, for he has his sou’wester and rubber 
boots, while as for me I am used to going 
out in all sorts of weather. I will not be 
gone any longer than I can help, and — 
why Edna, you have not had any dinner. 
Of course you haven’t.” 

Why, is it dinner time ?” she asked. 

‘^It is past our dinner time. We had 
just finished when you came in, or at least 
Amelia had just finished washing the 
dishes. We have dinner in the middle of 
the day, you know, on account of having 
Amelia come to do the dishes. Ellie, dear, 
I wonder if you could see that the child has 
something to eat while I am gone. Every- 
thing is in the refrigerator, but I am 
afraid there is not much beyond bread and 
milk.” 

There is pie,” Miss Eloise reminded 
her, ‘‘and there are plenty of tomatoes. 


IN THE FOG 


127 


We can manage, I am sure, sister. You 
go right along.” 

So Miss Newman did not waste time in 
getting ready, but started forth in a very 
few minutes, and then Miss Eloise sent 
Edna out into the little shed to report upon 
what she might find in the refrigerator. 

The child realized now that she was 
really hungry, and having shared her anx- 
ieties with someone to be depended upon, 
she felt that there was nothing further to 
be done. Holding up the blue kimono so it 
would not drag on the floor, she went out 
into the little shed, annexed to the back of 
the bungalow. She looked inside the re- 
frigerator. There was a plate of cold fish. 
Not very appetizing, thought she. A dish 
of cold baked potatoes — ^neither did these 
appeal to her — , a few tomatoes, butter, 
milk, and a little saucer of stewed apples. 
She took out the milk, the butter, the to- 
mato and the stewed apples, and set these 


128 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL^S HOLIDAYS 


on the table. ^^IVe found something,” 
she called out. 

Bring it in here by the fire, ” said Miss 
Eloise in reply. 

Edna carefully carried the things into 
the front room. 

There is salt on the shelf over the 
sink,” Miss Eloise told her. ‘‘The bread 
is in the bread-box, and the pie is on the 
kitchen table covered with a tin lid. It 
gets soggy if you put it in the refrigerator. 
The knives are in the table drawer, and I 
think there are forks there, too.” 

Edna returned to the kitchen to get these 
things. There was quite a large section 
of blueberry pie, and there were some 
slices of bread already cut. The pie 
looked very good and she was pleased to 
think that a whole pie had been too much 
for the two Newmans and Amelia. “I 
am going to eat the tomato and some bread 
and butter first,” she told her friend; 


IN THE FOG 


129 


^'then I will eat some bread and milk and 
the stewed apples, and keep the pie till the 
last. I am very glad it was such a big pie 
that you couldn’t eat it all.” 

‘‘I am glad, too,” said Miss Bloise smil- 
ing, ‘‘and I am glad you could find some- 
thing else you liked.” 

Edna ate her meal with a good appetite, 
and then carried the empty dishes out into 
the kitchen. “Shall I wash them?” she 
asked. 

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t try,” said Miss 
Eloise. “You might set them in the dish 
pan and run some water over them so they 
won’t get dry or attract the flies.” 

Edna did as she was told and then re- 
turned to watch for Miss Newman. She 
had not long to wait before she saw her 
coming across the field which separated 
the Duncan’s house from the little bunga- 
low. “Here she comes,” cried Edna try- 
ing to get to the door in such haste that she 


130 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


forgot to hold up the blue kimono and 
came near to sprawling at full length. 
However, she did get to the door in time 
to open it before Miss Newman should turn 
the knob, and to be ready to ask, ^‘Did you 
find out anything about Louis?” 

^‘Well, I did and I didn’t,” Miss New- 
man told her. ^‘Let me get off this water- 
proof and I will tell you.” She slipped 
off the garment and himg it over the back 
of a chair, then she removed her rubbers 
and came over to the fire to dry the edge 
of her skirt. ‘‘We called up Mrs. Eam- 
sey first of all and told her where you 
were, then we called up the hotel. I let 
Eudolph do the asking, so Mrs. Morrison 
would think it was someone at the Dun- 
can’s who wanted to know about Louis. 
He was not with his mother, and she said 
she had not seen him since he went out 
after breakfast to see Edna. ‘He is prob- 
ably at Mrs. Eamsey ’s,’ she told Eudolph.” 


IN THE FOG 


131 


^‘Oh, dear, where can he be?’’ sighed 
Edna, anxiety written on her usually 
happy face. 

‘^Then I told Rudolph the circumstance 
of the boat. ‘Oh, I know whose boat that 
is,’ he said, ‘it belongs to Dick Fenton. 
He is a fisherman. I can get hold of him 
easily.’ So now Rudolph has gone to 
hunt up Dick and he has promised to come 
around this way and let us know. So 
now, my dear, all we can do is to wait till 
Rudolph returns. Did you get something 
to eat?” 

“Yes, indeed, I did, and the pie was de- 
licious. I am so very fond of blueberry 
pie. Thank you so much. Miss Newman 
for leaving me such a nice big piece.” 

Miss Newman laughed. “I am glad 
you take it that way, though the truth is, 
we didn’t know we were leaving it for 
you.” 

“I am afraid I drank up all the milk,” 


132 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


Edna went on. hope you will not need 
it for your supper.^’ 

‘‘No, we shall not, for neither of us 
takes milk in tea and they will bring more 
for the morning.’’ 

“Did Eudolph think that anything 
dreadful had happened to Louis?” asked 
Edna after a pause. 

“No, he seemed to think that no one 
could take the boat without Dick Fenton’s 
knowledge, and said that anyhow there 
were no oars in it, as Dick always took the 
oars up to the house.” 

It was a great relief to hear this, and 
Edna began to feel much more hopeful. 
“Only,” she said, “I don’t see why he 
didn’t come back.” 

“That is where the mystery is,” ac- 
knowledged Miss Newman. 

The mystery was not solved till an hour 
later when not only Eudolph, but Louis 
himself appeared. Miss Eloise was en- 


IN THE FOG 


133 


tertaining Edna with a story that the time 
might not hang too heavily. The bad 
weather had made a porch party out of the 
question, and this afternoon Edna was the 
only listener. The fairy prince had but 
just entered into the tale when a knock at 
the door scattered all hope of his ever be- 
ing recognized as the little bird on a 
])ough. 

Edna flew to the door, reaching it less 
clumsily this time as she had resumed her 
own frock which was by now quite dry. 
^^It’s Louis! It’s Louis!” she screamed. 
^^Oh, Louis, why didn’t you come? I was 
in such a trouble about you.” 

‘‘Well, I’ll tell you how it was,” said 
Louis, entering the room. “It wasn’t my 
fault at all. I went down and got into 
the boat, but I found there were no oars 
so of course there wasn’t any use for me 
to try to go out in it. While I was sitting 
there Dick came along; he’s the man the 


134 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


boat belongs to, you know, ^ Hallo, sonny,’ 
be said, ‘Waiting for a trip to sea?’ I 
said I was just sitting there pretending I 
was out at sea. ‘I’m going to draw my 
pots,’ he said, ‘Want to come along?’ 
Now, you know, Edna, of course I couldn’t 
miss such a chance as that, for I had never 
seen anyone draw lobster-pots, so of course 
I said yes, I’d like to go. I didn’t think 
we would be gone very long, and I knew 
you would stay until we got back. I never 
thought about the tide coming it, or would 
have made Dick wait till I had gone to tell 
you not to wait.” 

“You should have gone to tell her any- 
how,” said Miss Newman severely. “It 
was inexcusable to leave a little girl all 
that time by herself.” 

“Well, but you see,” said Louis in self- 
defence, “I was afraid Dick wouldn’t wait 
for me.” 


IN THE FOG 


135 


^‘You could have asked him whether he 
would.” 

Louis did not reply but hurried on with 
his story. In his heart of hearts he was 
conscious of having neglected his cousin 
for the sake of his own amusement, and 
had really no excuse to offer. ‘^Well, so 
I got in the boat and we went off. It was 
further than I thought, but just the min- 
ute we got back I went right around to the 
cave, or at least I tried to get there. Gee ! 
when I saw it was full of water, wasn’t I 
scared for a minute ? Then I said tO my- 
self, ^Edna’s not such a fool as to stay and 
get drowned. Of course she ’s gone home, ’ 
but just the same I thought I’d better go 
see, so I went back to Mrs. Eamsey ’s, or at 
least I started to go, but I met Eudolph 
and he told me where you were and that 
everybody was kicking up a fuss about me, 
so I came back with him, and here I am.” 


136 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL^S HOLIDAYS 


It was all so little of a tragedy, and all 
Edna’s alarm had been due merely to the 
thoughtlessness of one careless and selfish 
boy, so no one felt the least sympathy with 
Louis when he said. missed my din- 
ner, too.” 

^‘Serves him right,” said Eudolph, un- 
der his breath to Miss Newman. 

‘^Then I would advise you to go straight 
home to your mother,” said Miss Newman 
in her most freezing manner, ‘‘and I hope 
it is the last time Edna ever trusts herself 
to your tender mercies.” 

Here Miss Eloise held out her arms and 
gathered Edna to her with kisses and ca- 
resses, whispering to her that she was a 
darling child. 

Louis looked a little ashamed, but was 
evidently so much more sorry for himself 
at missing his dinner than for Edna in any 
state of mind or body, that no one detained 
him when he said he would go to his 


IN THE FOG 


137 


mother. Eudolph did not offer to see him 
on his way, bnt turning to Edna said, 
‘‘Whenever you are ready to go I can take 
you to Mrs. Eamsey’s as easily as not. 
We haven’t our motor-car this year, but I 
can drive over in the surrey.” 

Edna thanked him and he went off 
promising to return in half an hour. 
Neither Miss Newman nor Miss Eloise 
made any comment upon Louis, but Edna 
was perfectly aware that they did not ap- 
prove of him. She wished Louis were not 
so selfish, and she looked back to the time 
when she and her cousin were together at 
school, with Uncle Justus and Aunt Eliz- 
abeth. Louis was really nicer then, 
though more than once, even at that time, 
he had put Edna at disadvantage. She 
looked so sober that Miss Eloise asked 
what she was thinking about. 

“Louis,” was the laconic reply. 

“I wouldn’t think about him,” said 


138 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


Miss Eloise with more spirit than she 
usually displayed. 

^^What that boy needs is to go to board- 
ing school,” said Miss Newman firmly. 
‘^He ought to be where there are a lot of 
other boys to teach him he is of no impor- 
tance whatever.” 

^^He was so unhappy at Uncle Justus’s 
school that his mother says he shall never 
go away to school again,” remarked Edna. 

‘^Poor boy, then there is no hope for 
him,” replied Miss Newman. 

Edna did not exactly understand what 
this meant, but she did not say so, but see- 
ing she still looked very sober. Miss Eloise 
changed the subject, and began talking of 
Edna’s friends, Dorothy and Jennie. 
‘‘Why didn’t you all play together, 
Edna ? ’ ’ she asked. ‘ ‘ I thought you three 
little girls were inseparable.” 

Edna hung her head. She wanted to 
shield Louis, but at the same time she did 


IN THE FOG 


139 


not want to say anything against her two 
friends. Finally she compromised by 
saying, ^^Boys don’t like to play with 
doUs.” 

^^Oh, I see,” said Miss Eloise with a 
smile, for Edna’s words had given the key 
to the situation. 

It was not long before Rudolph ap- 
peared with the surrey. He brought 
a warm coat of his sister’s to wrap Edna 
up in, and they set off after Edna had 
given earnest thanks to her entertainers. 


CHAPTER VII 


A SAILING PARTY 

^^What a time you have been gone!’’ 
exclaimed Jennie when Edna appeared. 
^‘How did you happen to go to the bunga- 
low? Come in and tell us all about it. 
Mother, here’s Edna,” she sang out. 

^^Come in to the fire,” said Mrs. Ram- 
sey from the door of the living-room. 
These sea-turns chill one to the marrow. 
Was that Rudolph who brought you over? 
That was very nice of him. I was just 
about to tell Mack he’d better go for you.” 

Edna entered the house and stood before 
the fire. Dorothy who was established 
near at hand, looked up from the book she 
was reading. Hallo, Edna,” she said, 
and then returned to her book. 

140 


A SAILING PARTY 


141 


^‘How did you happen to go to the bun- 
galow?” Jennie repeated her question, 
coming over to where Edna stood. 

‘‘It was the fog,” Edna told her, and 
then she went on to give an account of her 
adventures. She had not proceeded very 
far before down went Dorothy’s book, and 
she was as interested a listener as Jennie 
and her mother. 

“Oh, Edna,” she said, when the tale 
was ended, “how dreadful it all was, and 
here we were half mad with you and not 
knowing anything about what was hap- 
pening. Suppose, just suppose, that the 
tide had come up and, oh dear, oh dear, 
Edna I am so sorry we were hateful to 
you this morning.” 

“But you were not hateful,” Edna pro- 
tested, “and I don’t suppose I ought 
to have gone off with Louis, but you 
see — ” 

“Yes, we do see,” Jennie interrupted 


142 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


her, ‘‘and nobody was to blame but Louis. 
Wasn’t he the one, Mother?” 

“I am afraid so,” responded Mrs. Ram- 
sey, “though my dear, I think you should 
have remembered that both Edna and 
Louis were your guests and that the 
proper thing to do was to propose some 
play in which you could all join. Little 
boys are not expected to play with dolls, 
you know.” 

Jennie hung her head, but Edna gave 
Mrs. Ramsey a grateful look, for what she 
said was very true. But seeing that Jen- 
nie looked quite downcast Edna spoke up 
cheerfully. “Well, it is all over now, and 
I did have a very nice time at the bunga- 
low. I had lunch out of the refrigerator, 
and Miss Eloise told me a lovely story. 
No, she didn’t either, she didn’t but half 
tell it for Louis came before it was done. 
Oh, Jennie, I wore Miss Eloise ’s shoes and 
stockings while mine were getting dry. 


A SAILING PARTY 


143 


and they were only a little bit too big for 
me. I wore her blue kimono, too.’’ 

^‘I’m awfully glad you had a good 
time,” said Jennie earnestly, ‘‘but if I 
had known what was going on I should 
have been very unhappy. W e didn ’t have 
a very good time as it was, did we, Doro- 
thy?” 

“No, we didn’t,” Dorothy agreed. “We 
missed you, Edna, and we were out of 
sorts all the time. Please stay with us 
next time.” 

“I think Edna will do that,” said Mrs. 
Eamsey gently, “for I think we must 
make a rule that no one of you is to go 
anywhere that you cannot all go, and then 
you will all be safer.” 

Edna felt that this was a very good rule, 
and was sure that Mrs. Eamsey had made 
it for her protection, since now she could 
always say to Louis, “No, I can’t go unless 
the others do.” So she looked up in Mrs. 


144 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


Ramsey’s face and said, ‘‘I like that 
rule.” 

Mrs. Ramsey smiled down at her. 
am glad you do.” 

However, so far as Louis went, there 
was little need of rules, for he kept away 
several days, having found a playmate in 
the person of a boy of about his own age 
who had come to the hotel to spend a few 
weeks. ^^The boy’s father had a boat, a 
sail boat,” Louis informed the girls when 
he saw them, and Louis was invited to go 
out every day in it, so any other amuse- 
ment which they could offer paled before 
this. 

At the end of the week Mr. Ramsey 
came up for a longer stay than before, and 
who should appear in the harbor about the 
same time but Edna’s big boy cousin, Ben 
Barker. Everybody liked Ben, for he was 
an entirely different sort of somebody 
from Louis. He had come up with some 


A SAILING PARTY 


145 


of Ms college friends on a yacht, but was 
frequently ashore. 

‘‘I thought no one less than the King of 
Spain had arrived,’’ declared Mr. Eamsey 
when he beheld the tumultuous welcome 
given Ben by the three little girls. 

‘‘He is much nicer than the King of 
Spain,” Jennie told him. 

“And this from my own daughter whose 
father has just arrived,” said Mr. Eamsey 
laughing. “You are certainly a popular 
young man, Mr. Barker.” 

“Oh, don’t call him Mr. Barker; call 
him Ben ; we do, ” said J ennie. 

‘ ‘ That is as he likes, my dear. ’ ’ 

“Oh, everybody calls me Ben,” the 
young man told him. 

“Ben be it, then. And where are you 
staying, Ben?” 

“On the yacht with the boys, sir. We 
are cruising up the coast, and thought this 
would be a good place to anchor for a few 


146 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL^S HOLIDAYS 


days. We’re not all boys, for the father 
of one of my chums, the fellow who owns 
the yacht, is with us, so is one of the col- 
lege professors, and Edna, you will never 
guess who is one of the party.” 

‘^Who?” 

Guess.” 

‘‘Celia, my sister Celia.” 

‘ ‘ W rong. No ladies aboard. ’ ’ 

“Then, let me see — ^not papa?” 

Ben shook his head. “You’re a little 
warmer.” 

“One of the boys; Frank or Charlie.” 

“No small fry.” 

“Then, please tell, I can’t possibly 
guess.” 

“Your Uncle Justus.” 

“Oh, Ben, really?” 

“Yes, ma’am, thy servant speaketh 
truly.” 

“But where is he? and why didn’t he 
come up with you?” 


A SAILING PARTY 


147 


‘‘Because I wasn’t sure how far it might 
be to this house, or how difficult it might be 
to get here.” 

“You don’t mean that it is Professor 
Horner of whom you are speaking,” said 
Mr. Eamsey. 

“Yes, sir, Mr. Justus Horner.” 

“Well, well, well. Certainly we must 
have him over here. I will go speak to 
Mrs. Ramsey about it. How did you come 
over, Ben?” 

“I rowed over.” 

“Then, if you will permit me to take an 
oar I will go back with you and call upon 
your goodly company. Whose is the 
yacht, did you say?” 

“Clem McAllister’s.” 

“Son of Davis McAllister? Why, I 
know his father well, and his father is on 
board, too, I believe you said. A double 
reason for my going.” He hurried off to 
to speak to his wife while Ben and the 


148 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


three little girls continued the conversa- 
tion. 

^^What do you think we saw in the wa- 
ter last night?’’ Ben asked them. 

^^Oh, what?” they asked in a breath. 
‘‘Was it a whale?” said Jennie. 

“No.” 

“Not a man? . Oh, Ben, was it, and had 
he fallen overboard?” 

“No, it wasn’t a man.” 

“Then maybe it was a shark.” This 
from Dorothy. “I’d hate to see a shark; 
it would scare me to death.” 

“It wasn’t a shark.” 

“Then perhaps it was only a porpoise. 
They do come in quite near sometimes,” 
Jennie ventured this. 

“No, it was nothing of a fishy nature.” 

“Then we can’t guess. Tell us, Ben,” 
Edna begged. 

“All give it up?” 

“Yes, yes, yes,” 


A SAILING PARTY 


149 


“It was a — ” he paused and looked im- 
pressively at each one, “a — I hardly 
know how to describe it, for it seemed to 
be amphibious, having once lived on land, 
and yet I doubt if it will live there ever 
again.” 

“Do you mean it will never be on land 
again Dorothy asked. 

“I didn’t say that. I said I doubted 
its ever living on land. I really don’t see 
how it could, though of course it might 
possibly be there. This is a case when 
there is a difference between being and liv- 
ing.” 

“What was it doing when you saw it?” 
asked Jennie. 

“It was headed for the harbor, I should 
say.” 

“Then it might have been a ship or a 
boat.” Jennie began to think she was 
getting some light. 

“You are a very clever child. Miss Kain- 


150 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


sey, but your intuitions fail you upon this 
occasion.’’ 

^‘Then we give it up. We did give it 
up, Ben, you know, and then you started 
us guessing again. What was it?” 

‘‘It was about five feet long, I should 
judge,” Ben went on thoughtfully, and as 
if he had no idea of their having stopped 
guessing. “It’s body was reared some 
distance above the water, but it was mak- 
ing its way very successfully, I thought.” 

“It was a dog!” cried Edna trium- 
phantly. 

“Of course it was,” echoed the others. 

Ben heaved a long sigh. “How mis- 
taken persons can be when they are sure 
they are right. I admit that if I were 
writing about this object you might think 
I was writing about a dog, but I wouldn’t 
be because it was not a dog.” 

“Then it was a horse or some kind of 
animal.” Dorothy was very sure of this. 


A SAILING PARTY 


151 


Ben slowly shook his head. the 

wrong tack, my dear Dorothy.’^ 

‘‘But you said it had lived on land, 
though you doubted if it ever would do so 
again.” 

“Yea, verily, so said I.” 

“Then we won’t guess any more, will 
we girls? We gave it up and it has to 
stay given up.” 

“Do you really want to know?” 

“Oh, we’re not particular,” replied 
Dorothy, with a little toss of her head. 

“Oh, well, then,” said Ben, “I won’t 
bother myself to tell you.” He picked up 
the morning paper as if the last word had 
been said on the subject. 

“Ben Barker, you are just the worst 
tease,” said Edna, tousling his hair. 
“You’ve just got to tell us after rousing 
our curiosity.” 

“Oh, I am willing to tell you if you 
really want to know, but I thought you 


152 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


didn’t. It was a large piece of drift- 
wood.” 

‘‘Oh, you mean, mean thing!” Edna be- 
gan to pommel him with her fist and the 
others joined in. 

“See here,” cried Ben, “three against 
one isn’t fair, is it, Mr. Ramsey?” he ap- 
pealed to that gentleman who just then 
came in. 

Mr. Ramsey laughed. “I see it is high 
time to come to your rescue. Are you 
ready? If so, I am at your service.” 

Ben shook himself free of the little girls, 
picked them up one after another and 
tossed them in a heap among the cushions 
of the divan, then strode off in Mr. Ram- 
sey’s wake. 

The girls, laughing and squealing, 
crawled out from the cushions to run after 
the departing figures, but these had al- 
ready gone too far to be overtaken and 
they returned to watch them row off. 





. 


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A SAILING PARTY 


153 


In about an hour they were back again, 
bringing a third person. It was Edna 
who first caught sight of the approaching 
boat. ‘‘I see the boat coming,’’ she sang 
out, ‘^and there are three persons in it. 
Oh, girls, I know who is coming; it is Un- 
cle Justus. I know him by his whiskers 
and his eyebrows, though he isn’t wearing 
a hat, but a funny cap. Do come and 
see.” 

Let’s go down to the landing and meet 
them,” proposed Jennie. 

This was at once agreed upon and the 
three little girls went flying across the 
sands, so as to be on hand when the boat 
should come up. It seemed very queer to 
see Uncle Justus in yachting cap and 
flannels when he had always appeared in 
most severe dress, and never on any occa- 
sion wore such a frivolous thing as a cap. 
He appeared to have thrown off some of 
his dignity, too, for he stepped ashore with 


154 A DEAR LITTLE GlRI/S HOLIDAYS 


much agility and actually ran up the long 
board landing to meet Edna. 

^^Well, Avell, well, little girl,” he cried, 
“isn’t this a great meeting?” 

‘^It is just fine,” returned Edna. “I 
am mighty glad to see you. Uncle Justus. 
Are you glad to see me?” 

“Not a doubt of it. Did you ever ex- 
pect to see your old uncle sporting around 
with a lot of college boys? I am contin- 
ually surprising myself by saying or do- 
ing something I had forgotten, and which 
belongs properly to youth. They are a 
great set, those college boys.” 

By this time Jennie and Dorothy had 
come up and were given hearty greetings. 
Professor Horner in the character of a 
yachtsman was rather a different person 
from the grave and severe schoolmaster 
whose school they attended. As for Edna, 
she was so divided between her desire to 
be with her favorite cousin Ben and with 


A SAILING PARTY 


155 


Uncle Justus, of whom she was very fond, 
that she swung between her two desires 
like a pendulum till Ben caught her and 
pretended he was going to throw her over- 
board because she would not walk with him 
up to the house. By the time this pre- 
tended squabble was over Uncle Justus 
was well ahead with Mr. Eamsey, so the 
three little girls attended Ben like satel- 
lites. 

‘‘You’re going to stay to dinner, Mr. 
Horner said so,” Jennie told Ben in a sat- 
isfied voice. 

“And do you know what we are going to 
do to-morrow?” 

“No. What are you going to do ?” 

“We are going to have our breakfast on 
the yacht. ’ ’ Ben gave this information as 
if it were a great piece of news. 

“But I thought you always did that.” 

“So we do.” 

Jennie looked puzzled, but Edna 


156 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


laughed. It was so like cousin Ben to do 
that way. ^^It is so nice to have you 
here,” said Edna, fondling the hand that 
held hers. She and the others had settled 
it that as Ben was her own cousin she had 
prior claim to his right hand and the other 
two hung on his left arm, getting in one 
another’s way a great deal in an effort to 
establish an equal right. 

Ben’s presence at the lunch table kept 
the little girls in a state of giggles, which 
was aggravated by the inquiring look Un- 
cle Justus would give them over his spec- 
tacles once in a while, as if he would say. 
Why all this merriment when there is no 
apparent cause ? 

It was at the lunch table that Mr. Ram- 
sey proposed a sailing party for the next 
afternoon. have been promising these 
young people for some time that I would 
take them out,” he said. ‘^Old Cap’n Si 
has a good boat, and Mrs. Ramsey has 


A SAILING PARTY 


157 


promised we shall have a supper to take 
with us. Gosling Island is a pretty place, 
and I think you will all enjoy the sail. 
What do you say, Mr. Horner? Will you 
and Ben go with us ? ’ ’ 

cannot speak for my young friend,’’ 
replied Mr. Horner, ^^but for myself, I 
should be delighted to go, especially as you 
and your good lady are to be my ship- 
mates.” 

At the words ‘^good lady,” Ben opened 
his eyes very wide at Edna and she col- 
lapsed into a fresh attack of giggles while 
Ben turned gravely to Mr. Eamsey to say, 
‘^And I shall be delighted, too, Mr. Eam- 
sey. I think it will give the boys on the 
yacht a treat if I spare them my presence 
for one afternoon.” 

^^Now, Benjamin, you are entirely too 
modest,” said Mr. Horner. ^^He is quite 
the life of the party, Mr. Eamsey, I assure 
you. They will not miss an old fogy like 


158 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


me, but young blood like Ben’s gives a 
great infusion of spirits.” 

The little girls stole a glance at Ben. 
He had meekly folded his hands and was 
looking down with such an expression of 
humility that not only the little girls but 
Mrs. Kamsey had to laugh. Truly it was 
anything but a solemn meal. 

The next day dawned bright and fair to 
the delight of three rather anxious little 
girls who were fearful lest grey skies 
would put a stop to any plans for the sail- 
ing party? But alas, as the day wore on 
it became more and more doubtful whether 
one of the three little maids would be able 
to go, for Edna, who waked with a little 
headache, became worse and worse, and by 
lunch time found it would be impossible 
for her to eat anything, and could be com- 
fortable only when lying down. She was 
so disappointed and tried to persuade her- 
self that the feeling of dizziness would pass 


A SAILING PARTY 


159 


away, and that she would be better by the 
time they were ready to start. 

However, it was Mrs. Eamsey who fi- 
nally decided that she must not think of 
going. ‘‘Dearie,” she said, “I am much 
afraid you would be the worse for going. 
It isn’t everyone who can go in a sailing 
vessel without being seasick, and I am a 
little doubtful for Dorothy and Miss 
Eloise, but in your present condition I am 
very sure it would be anything but a pleas- 
ure to you.” 

Jennie who stood by listening with much 
concern, spoke up. “Couldn’t we put it 
off. Mother?” 

“I think we can promise to go another 
time, but not with the same party, for the 
yacht will continue her cruise up the coast, 
so Ben tells me, and will not be here after 
to-morrow morning. Your father wants 
particularly to have Mr. Horner go with 
us, you see — ” 


160 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


‘^Tlien I’m not going,” said Jennie de- 
cidedly. 

Edna raised herself on her elbow. ‘ ‘ In- 
deed you must,” she said. ^‘I think it is 
lovely of you, Jennie, to want to stay, but 
you see, I couldn’t play or do anything but 
lie still, and I should be very unhappy if 
you were to stay on my account. Please 
say she must go, Mrs. Ramsey. If she 
stays, then Dorothy will think she must 
and it will spoil it for so many that it 
wouldn’t do at all.” 

think Jennie ought to go,” said Mrs. 
Ramsey, after a moment’s thought, ^‘for 
we have asked Mrs. Duncan and her little 
girl, but I shall stay to take care of you.” 

Edna raised her head again. ^^Oh, but 
Mrs. Ramsey, that will be just as bad. I 
am not so ill as that, indeed I am not. It 
is only that I feel dizzy when I raise my 
head. If I keep very quiet I may be well 
by the time you can get back. Besides, if 


A SAILINGS PARTY 


161 


it isn’t polite for Jennie to stay home be- 
cause you have invited Grace Duncan, then 
it wouldn’t be polite for you because you 
have invited Mrs. Duncan.” 

Mrs. Ramsey smiled at this laying down 
of the law, but continued, ‘‘I am sure our 
friends will understand why I am not go- 
ing when it is explained to them.” 

‘^Oh, but,” Edna went on, shall be 
much sicker if you stay, because I shall 
feel as if it were all on my account. It 
makes me sicker just to think of it. 
Please, dear Mrs. Ramsey, go. Emma can 
take care of me and I shall not want any- 
thing, but just to keep still.” 

She looked so imploring and was really 
so distressed that Mrs. Ramsey wavered. 
“I am sure it is not a very serious illness,” 
she admitted, ‘^and Emma is really a very 
good nurse. I could leave word with her 
to telephone for the doctor if you were to 
grow worse, I suppose.” 


162 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


• “Oh, yes, that will be all right, and I 
shall not be any worse unless you stay at 
home.” 

“In that case,” returned Mrs. Ramsey 
smiling, “it would seem the wisest plan 
for me to go. I will tell Emma to keep 
within hearing. She can take her mend- 
ing in the next room and sit there, or 
would you rather lie on the divan in the 
living-room?” 

“I’ll stay here for awhile, and if I get 
better I can go down there,” Edna de- 
cided. 

So, in due course of time they all left 
her, with many protestations, and loving 
farewells. “If you can get to sleep,” 
said Mrs. Ramsey, “I think you will wake 
up feeling better. Enmia can darken the 
room and it will be very quiet.” 

So off they went, and Edna turned with 
a little sigh of regret and tried to com- 
pose herself to sleep. She closed her 


A SAILING PARTY 


163 


eyes and presently heard Enmia tip-toe- 
ing about the room, softly drawing down 
the shades. After all it was rather 
pleasant and restful to lie there undis- 
turbed, to know that nothing was expected 
of her, and that she did not have to pre- 
tend to feel better than she really was. 
Her head did not ache so badly when she 
kept perfectly still, and there was Emma 
near at hand if she should want anything. 
She heard the gentle plash of the water 
on the beach, and once in a while the dis- 
tant ‘^Putter, putter” of a motor-boat, 
but that w^as all. She wondered if Ben 
would miss her. She was sure Uncle 
Justus would. They were all getting in 
the boat now, and now they were sailing 
off, sailing off, and presently Edna herself 
sailed off, too, into the sea of Dreams. 


CHAPTER VIII 

THE FIRE 


For about half an hour the child slept 
peacefully. Once or twice Emma stole 
softly in to find her with hand under a 
cheek, now rather pale, and with red lips 
half-smiling as if in a pleasant dream. 

Bless the child, it’s nothin’ but a sick- 
headache,” whispered Emma. ^‘She’ll 
be all the better for the sleep.” At the 
end of the half hour Edna stirred, sighed, 
opened her eyes and then sat up. The 
dizzy feeling was nearly gone. 

Emma came to the door. ‘‘Well,” she 
said, “and how are you feeling?” 

“A good deal better,” said Edna cheer- 
fully. “I think I’ll get up and go down 
to the living-room, Emma.” 

“Do you feel equal to it ?” asked Emma, 
164 


THE FIRE 


165 


‘^Oh, yes, I think I do. Besides the 
sun is coming in here now, and IVe been 
here all day, so I’d like a change.” 

“Then I’ll tell you there’s someone 
down there waiting for you. He wouldn ’t 
have you disturbed, but said I was to 
bring him word when you waked up. 
He’s been there about a quarter of an hour, 
I should say, but he said he would amuse 
himself with the papers and magazines, 
and you were not to hurry on his ac- 
count.” 

This didn’t sound as if it could be 
Louis, as Edna at first supposed it might 
be. He had not been asked to go on the 
sailing party, and could easily have come 
over. “It isn’t my cousin Louis Mor- 
rison, is it?” she asked. 

“No, it’s the owld gintleman with the 
eyebrows. I don’t just remember the 
name.” 

“Why, it must be Uncle Justus,” cried 


166 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


Edna getting up with alacrity. ‘‘He was 
to have gone sailing with the others. I 
wonder why he didn’t go. Is it the 
gentleman who was here to lunch yester- 
day, Emma?” 

‘ ‘ That very same. ’ ’ 

“Oh, then I’ll go right down.” 

She slowly descended the stairs. After 
all her head did still feel a little queer, 
and she was rather faint from eating 
nothing since breakfast, so she did not 
enter the room with her usual animation, 
and Uncle Justus did not see her till she 
had nearly reached his side. Then he 
looked up over his spectacles. “Well, 
well, well,” he cried, “how is my little 
girl feeling?” 

He held out his arms and Edna went 
to him. “I’m feeling a little better,” she 
said, as he took her on his knee and set- 
tled her comfortably with her head 
against his shoulder. 


THE FIRE 


167 


^‘Poor little lamb,’’ he murmured, 
^^poor little lamb. I am so sorry — ^we 
were all sorry to hear about the head- 
ache.” 

^^But, Uncle Justus, I thought you were 
going on the sailing party.” 

‘^So I was, my dear, but I couldn’t have 
enjoyed it knowing you were here without 
your mother or any of your family. I 
know little folks like their mothers when 
they are not feeling well, and though I 
couldn’t in any way take the place of your 
mother, I wanted to come and look after 
you a little.” 

Edna put up a hand and softly stroked 
the cheek above the curled grey whisker, 
and even a part of the whisker itself. 
think it was dear of you to do that, but 
Uncle Justus, I am afraid Mr. Eamsey 
was disappointed not to have you go, and 
I did not mind so very much being alone. 
I did want mother awfully, when I was 


168 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL^S HOLIDAYS 


feeling the sickest, but I tried to think 
how lovely everyone was to me, and of 
how nice it was to be in this lovely cool 
place by the sea, instead of in the hot city, 
and I didn’t feel so.” 

Uncle Justus murmured something 
which Edna couldn’t quite make out, 
something about babes and sucklings 
which really did not appear to have much 
to do with the subject. 

^‘Aren’t you really disappointed about 
not going on the sailing party?” she 
asked presently. 

^^No, my dear. I prefer to be here. 
Besides, do you remember a little girl who 
gave up having her Thanksgiving at home 
that she might share a lonely dinner with 
her old uncle? If you have forgotten, I 
have not.” 

‘‘Oh, but,” returned Edna, quite em- 
barrassed, for the little girl was none 
other than herself, “you see you were 


THE FIRE 


169 


quite well, and didn’t have a headache.” 
Just what this had to do with it was rather 
puzzling and Uncle Justus smiled at the 
attempted argument. 

Then they fell into talking about vari- 
ous things, and in the course of the con- 
versation Edna told of her adventure in 
the fog, of how scared she had been, and 
how fearful lest Louis were drowned. 
Uncle Justus listened attentively, and 
asked such adroit questions that though 
Edna tried to shield Louis, she knew that 
Uncle Justus was aware of everything 
that had happened. He was Louis’s 
Uncle Justus as well as Edna’s. 

When the story was ended Uncle Justus 
was silent for a time, but he stroked 
Edna’s hair thoughtfully. At last he 
said half to himself. shall have to 
have a talk with the boy’s mother. He 
will be ruined if something is not done.” 
And then Emma came in to know if Mr. 


170 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


Horner would have tea, and then since 
he declined this, she asked if he would 
dine with Miss Edna. 

^^Oh, you will. Uncle Justus, won’t 
you, ’ ’ begged Edna. 

will if you would like me to,” he 
said simply. 

So Edna sat up straight and said, ^^He 
will stay, Emma, but you must give him 
more than I am to have, for Mrs. Ramsey 
said I’d better not eat anything very 
hearty.” 

‘‘You were to have some broth and 
toast. Miss Edna,” Enuna told her, “and 
if you wanted more before bedtime I was 
to give you some hot milk.” 

“But they will be back by bedtime, 
Enmia, I am sure.” 

“Very well, miss. I will see that the 
gentleman has something proper.” 

She went out and Edna, feeling that she 
had been coddled long enough, took a seat 


THE FIRE 


171 


on a low chair, and pretty soon dinner 
was announced, the two eating it very 
happily together. Edna had her chicken 
broth and toast for which she was quite 
ready by this time, declaring that she was 
actually hungry and that her head was 
steadily getting better. 

As she had predicted, it was not bed- 
time when the sailing party returned, full 
of their doings. Edna was ready with 
plenty of questions and Tvas told how Miss 
Eloise proved to be a good sailor, and had 
enjoyed the trip immensely, of how Ben 
and Mr. Eamsey had carried her ashore 
bodily, of how they had made a fire and 
cooked their supper, and last of all, how 
they had all missed her. 

It was after Ben and Uncle Justus had 
departed for the yacht that Edna watch- 
ing the lights in the harbor, heard Mr. 
Eamsey say. ^^We saw Mr. Horner in a 
new light to-day. Who could ever im- 


172 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


agine him so tenderly anxious about his 
little niece? He always seemed rather 
a cold midemonstrative person to me. I 
was certainly surprised when he insisted 
upon returning that he might be with 
Edna in our absence.’’ 

‘‘I was rather surprised myself,” re- 
sponded Mrs. Eamsey, though now I re- 
member it, Jennie has told me that he is 
devoted to Edna, and though all his other 
pupils stand in awe of him, that she alone 
seems to have no fear. He must have a 
tender heart, for all his bushy eyebrows 
and stern exterior.” 

The twinkling lights in the harbor were 
still shining when the little girls went to 
bed, but before morning a wilder light 
was blazing from the point w^here old 
Cap’n Si’s little house stood, and, the 
next morning when the children looked 
across to where yesterday they had seen 
the old man sitting on the bench outside 


THE FIRE 


173 


Ms door, the smoke curling from the 
chimney and the flowers in his little gar- 
den making a brave showing, they beheld 
but a heap of blackened ruins. 

Jennie was the first to see it and ran to 
her father who had just come down. 
‘‘Oh, Papa,” she cried, “just come here. 
There isn’t any Cap’n Si’s house any 
more.” 

“What’s that?” said her father join- 
ing her at the window where she stood. 

“Just look.” 

Mr. Eamsey did look but he saw only 
the charred bits of wood from which a 
slight smoke was rising. “That’s bad, 
very bad,” he said shaking his head. 
“Why it was only last night that he was 
telling us that he was born in that house 
and hoped to die in it. I wonder how it 
could have happened. I hope no one was 
hurt. Who lives with him, daughter? 
Do you remember?” 


174 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


‘‘His daughter and her family. Bert 
is the oldest ; he is off fishing in Captain 
Eli Brown’s boat, then there is Louberta, 
but she’s married. Amelia comes next, 
and then there’s little Si, and Kitty is the 
youngest. They haven’t any father, for 
he was lost at sea two years ago.” 

“I remember, I remember. It is all 
very sad. I must go over as soon as I 
have had some breakfast and we will see 
what is to be done.” 

As one after another came down the 
news of the fire was told, and Mrs. Eam- 
sey declared she must go with her hus- 
band to find out all about it. So they 
started off in the automobile as soon as 
breakfast was over leaving three deeply 
interested little girls. There was no talk 
of calling Cap’n Si that morning, for he 
would not be looking for the fiag to be run 
up, instead he was lying helpless on a cot, 
his hands swathed in cotton, and his 


THE FIRE 


175 


stubbly beard singed by the fire he had 
vainly tried to put out. 

It was two hours before Mr. and Mrs. 
Eamsey returned, and then it was to tell 
a sorrowful tale. A lamp burning in one 
of the two little upper rooms had been 
overturned by one of the children very 
early in the morning, and before the full 
danger was realized the house was in 
flames. Fortunately no one was very 
seriously hurt, Cap’n Si was badly 
scorched, and his hands showed some bad 
burns, but the doctor had pronounced 
these not so very deep. Everything in 
the house was consumed, however, and 
the family were destitute and homeless. 

The children gathered around Mr. and 
Mrs. Eamsey listening with absorbed in- 
terest. ^^What will they do, Papa^’’ 
asked Jennie. ^‘They have nowhere to 
go and no clothes and no furniture. Oh, 
dear, isn’t it dreadful?” 


176 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


^‘Some of their neighbors have taken 
them in temporarily, and as soon as needs 
be we shall gather up whatever can be 
spared in the way of clothing for them. 
Then there is a plan on foot to get up a 
bazar in order to collect money for their 
furniture when they shall have another 
house.’’ 

‘‘How will they be able to build a house ? 
I know they are very poor.” 

“We hope enough money will be sub- 
scribed for that. Everyone respects 
Cap’n Si, and we think there will be 
enough forthcoming to build a house suf- 
ficiently large for their needs.” 

“Has papa subscribed?” 

“Yes, dear; it was he that started the 
subscription paper.” 

“Were none of the children hurt at 
all?” asked Edna. 

“One of them, the youngest was slightly 
burned, for she was asleep when the fire 


THE FIRE 


177 


broke out. It was in saving her that 
Cap’n Si was burned.” 

Are they going to ask those young men 
on the yacht to give something*?” asked 
Edna. ‘‘They are not going off till this 
afternoon, you know.” 

“We didn’t think of them, did we?” 
said Mrs. Eamsey to her husband. 

“That is true, we didn’t, and most of 
them can well afford to make a contribu- 
tion. I will see McAllister myself.” 

“What can we do?” asked Dorothy 
wistfully. 

“Oh, yes, we want to help, of course,” 
chimed in Jennie. “I will give all the 
money I have left of my allowance. 
Mother, and all that is coming to me for 
the rest of the time we are here.” 

“I think you’d better allow yourself a 
little, dear child, but I am sure papa will 
advance you whatever he thinks is right 
for you to give.” 


178 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


think I could give a dollar,’’ said 
Edna after a pause. have that much, 
and I am sure I don’t have to spend it 
for I have six postage stamps, that will 
make two a week till I get back home. 
Would a dollar do any good, Mrs. Ram- 
sey?” 

‘‘It would do a great deal of good, but 
instead of giving the money outright how 
would you children like to buy materials 
to make fancy articles for the bazar? 
In that way I haven’t a doubt but you 
would get a better return.” 

“I think that would be a fine plan,” 
said Dorothy, for, to tell the truth, her 
savings were of small account, and as she 
calculated she told herself that thirty-five 
cents would be the very limit. Money al- 
ways burned a hole in Dorothy’s pocket, 
and it was hard for her to pass a candy 
shop without spending her pennies. Mrs. 
Ramsey knew this and knew also that 


THE FIRE 


179 


while Dorothy was quite as generous as 
the other two she would have less to offer. 

Both Jennie and Edna agreed with 
Dorothy that it was a very good plan to 
spend the money in this way, and they at 
once began to plan what they should 
buy. 

‘‘I think we all might make a trip to 
Boston in a day or two,” said Mrs. Ram- 
sey. ‘^How would you like that? I 
think we might spend our money to bet- 
ter advantage there.” 

^‘That would be simply perfect,” cried 
one and another. 

All this had made everyone entirely 
lose sight of Edna’s headache and it was 
not till Ben came in to say good-bye that 
anyone remembered it. ‘^Well, Ande,” 
he said, ‘‘how’s that head? A pretty 
trick you played on us yesterday.” 

“I didn’t play any trick. It was my 
head played me a trick.” 


180 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


‘^Oh, that was the way, was it? Well, 
how is the tricky head to-day?” 

‘‘Why, it is about well, I think.” 

“But you are not sure. IVe known 
heads to act that way before. Let me see 
how you look.” He turned her around 
to the light. “A little pale I should say. 
Did you eat any breakfast?” 

“Oh, yes, I ate an egg and some milk- 
toast.” 

“Good enough. I reckon you’ll do for 
a while. I say, wasn’t it great for Uncle 
Justus to sneak away from us all in that 
way? I didn’t think it was in the old 
chap. He wouldn’t budge any more than 
a balky mule. Soon as he heard you were 
alone and laid up with a headache off he 
must trot in the other direction.” 

“I think it was perfectly lovely of him,” 
said Edna earnestly. 

“So it was, Pinky Blooms — by the way 


THE FIRE 


181 


you aren’t Pinky Blooms to-day. To tell 
you the truth if Uncle Justus hadn’t made 
up his sedate mind to come, yours truly 
intended to say ta-ta to the sailing party 
himself.” 

“Oh, Ben, did you really?” 

“Yes, my lady, though it is too late in 
the day to make boastful vaunts, and it 
would have spoiled Uncle Justus’s little 
game if both of us had come. Moreover, 
it wouldn’t have been polite for all of us 
to have fled from the sailing party. You 
see Mr. McAllister took Uncle Justus’s 
place and there would have been no one to 
take mine.” 

“Bid you hear about the Are?” Edna 
asked next. 

“Indeed I did, and I am glad enough 
that a plan is on foot to raise money for 
those poor flsher people. I wonder who 
is receiving subscriptions. All the fellows 


182 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


chipped in and I have quite a wad here 
which I am instructed to turn over to the 
proper authorities.’’ 

^^Oh, Mr. Eamsey is just the one, for he 
started the paper.” 

‘^Good! I’ll get rid of it at once if you 
will help me find the gentleman.” 

Edna was only too ready to do this and 
together they hunted up Mr. Ramsey 
whom they found in the little room where 
he had his desk, and which was called the 
smoking-room. 

It was indeed quite a roll of bills which 
Ben handed over. The boys said never 
mind specifying names, just say it is from 
the Pippin, Nobody knows how much 
anybody gave. We just passed around 
the hat and this is the result.” 

‘‘A pretty handsome result, I should 
say,” remarked Mr. Ramsey much 
pleased. At this rate we shall be able to 
put up as good a house as need be. 


THE FIRE 


183 


Please thank the Pippin in the name of 
myself and the family of Cap’n Si.’’ 

‘‘I’ll do it, sir. The hoys were glad to 
come up to scratch.” 

“I think it is very lucky the fire was 
last night instead of to-night,” remarked 
Edna gravely. 

“And why?” asked Ben. 

“Because if it hadn’t been till to-night 
you all would be gone and then you 
wouldn’t have passed around the hat.” 

Both Mr. Eamsey and Ben laughed at 
this subtle reasoning, and then Ben said 
he must say good-bye to Mrs. Eamsey, so 
they went out leaving Mr. Eamsey to 
other matters. 

“I wish you would tell me why the yacht 
is called Pippin/^ said Edna. 

“My dearest child, I see you do not 
make yourself acquainted with slang, and 
far be it from me to intrude it upon your 
youthful attention. If you were to ask 


184 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL^S HOLIDAYS 


Clem McAllister why he named it that he 
would say, ^Because she is such a pippin,’ 
meaning a beauty, and that is all there is 
of it.” 

Edna understood by this that a pippin 
was another name for a beauty and was 
quite satisfied. She had two brothers of 
her own, and cousin Ben had passed the 
previous year at her home ; therefore she 
was not at all unfamiliar with boyish 
slang. 

The good-byes to Mrs. Eamsey and the 
other two little girls being made Ben took 
his departure, telling Edna she would see 
him early in the fall, and as Uncle Justus 
would not on any account leave without 
learning how Edna was, his was the next 
call. It was not a long one, for the yacht 
was to leave the harbor early and there 
was not much time left though Edna 
managed to tell about the fire and the 
bazar, and to send a great many mes- 


THE FIRE 


185 


sages to all at home whom Uncle Justus 
would see before she herself would. 

Edna felt a little homesick and lonely 
after these two relatives had left her. 
She was still a little the worse for her 
yesterday’s illness, and wished for mother 
and Celia, for her father and the boys. 
It certainly would be very good to see 
them again, and she was glad that in two 
weeks she would be turning her face to- 
ward home. But these thoughts did not 
last long, for Jennie called her to come 
and see the pile of clothes her mother had 
laid aside for Cap’n Si’s grandchildren, 
and began to tell of the many things which 
they could make for the bazar, so she 
was soon interested in all this. 

^‘We are going to see Miss Newman and 
Miss Eloise after lunch,” Jennie told her, 
‘‘for we want to tell everyone about the 
bazar, and they will be so interested on 
account of Amelia.” 


186 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


‘‘We miglit stop at the hotel, too,’’ sug- 
gested Edna, “and I can tell my aunt 
about it, then she can tell the other people 
there and we might get a lot of things 
from them.” 

“That will be a fine plan,” declared 
Jennie. “We will go with mother in the 
automobile for she wants to see Mrs. 
Duncan. A lot of ladies are to meet here 
to-morrow to make all the arrangements, 
and mother wants to tell Mrs. Duncan to 
come.” 

So there was quite enough on hand to 
drive away homesickness, and Edna 
started out with the rest with no thought 
of anything but the bazar and the prom- 
ised trip to Boston. 


CHAPTEE IX 


TO BOSTON 

The trip to Boston became such an im- 
portant topic that you would have thought 
the bazar was planned merely on its ac- 
count, and not that the trip was planned 
on the bazar’s account. Each of the 
little girls made a careful list of the things 
she meant to buy, and everyone was con- 
sulted about these lists; even Emma’s 
advice was asked. 

They were to make an early start so as 
to have plenty of time for their own shop- 
ping and that which Mrs. Eamsey meant 
to do. So on the all important morning 
there was much bustling about and com- 
paring of notes. 


187 


188 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


^‘What are you going to wear, EdnaT’ 
asked Dorothy. 

‘‘I thought I would put on my grey 
linen. What are you ? ’ ’ 

‘‘White, of course.’’ 

“Now why ‘of course’? People don’t 
always wear white when they are travel- 
ing.” 

“But this isn’t exactly traveling; it’s 
just going to the city and we’re not more 
than an hour on the train.” 

“Well, I don’t care. I am going to 
wear the linen. At least I am going to 
ask Jennie what she is going to put on, 
for of course I shouldn’t want both of 
you to wear white and me not.” 

“What are you going to wear, Jennie?” 
Dorothy called out to the next room. 

“My blue linen, the embroidered one.” 

“There, what did I say?” exclaimed 
Edna in triumph. 

“Well, anyhow, it is much more dressy 


TO BOSTON 


189 


than yours; it is more colory, and it is 
embroidered. I wouldn’t wear that plain 
thing if I were you.” 

All this made doubts arise in Edna’s 
own mind, and she sat disconsolately 
looking at the frock she had brought out 
to wear. 

You’d better hurry and get dressed 
and not sit there dreaming,” Dorothy 
warned her. 

wasn’t dreaming,” Edna contra- 
dicted, was just making up my mind. 
I might wear my Peter Thompson, only 
it might be too warm. I think I’d better 
go and ask Mrs. Ramsey.” Suiting the 
action to the word she went to Mrs. Ram- 
sey’s door and tapped gently. Mrs. 
Ramsey herself opened to look down on 
the little figure in its pink wrapper. 
^^Well, dear, what is it?” she said. 

don’t know just what to wear,” 
Edna confessed. ^‘You see mother al- 


190 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


ways tells me. Dorothy thinks I ought to 
w^ear one of my white frocks and I think 
my grey linen would be better. I could 
wear the Peter Thompson, but it is flannel 
and is pretty warm.’^ 

^‘Wear the linen by all means; it will 
be just the thing. You might take a little 
jacket of some kind and we can leave it 
at the station, in the package room, with 
my things. It may be cool coming back.” 

So Edna went off in triumph, donned 
her grey linen and was ready quite in 
time. She was too excited to eat much 
breakfast, and when they were told that 
Mack was at the door with the automo- 
bile she clutched her little handbag very 
tightly, for it contained the precious 
dollar which was to buy so many things 
that day. It was but a short distance to 
the station, but they were none too soon, 
for the train had whistled at the next sta- 
tion, and it seemed but a moment before 


TO BOSTON 


191 


they were aboard and on their way. The 
train was filled with men on their way to 
business, with ladies on their way to the 
city for a day’s shopping, and there were 
a few who were bound for further places, 
their holiday over. 

Edna, Jennie and Dorothy all sat to- 
gether with Mrs. Ramsey a little further 
along in front. Edna wondered how the 
conductor would know who they were, 
for Mrs. Eamsey had a book of tickets. 
She thought maybe she would say, 
have the tickets for my little girl in the 
blue frock and the one sitting with her in 
grey, and there is another with fair hair 
dressed in white.” Would the conductor 
think they were all named Ramsey ? She 
looked around her to see if there were any 
other little girls dressed in blue or grey 
or white, who might be mistaken for the 
right ones. But there was no trouble at 
all, for the conductor seemed to know 


192 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


intuitively and passed them by without 
so much as a question. 

The big North station reached, the 
matter of shopping seemed very near, and 
there was some discussion as to where 
they should go first. Each little girl had 
determined to buy at least three dolls to 
dress ; with the money that was left they 
would buy materials for fancy articles, 
for Mrs. Eamsey had promised them 
pieces enough for doll’s clothes. The 
dolls being such a very important matter, 
it was decided to get these off their minds 
at once, and therefore to a big, though in- 
expensive shop they went. 

Such a bewildering array as was laid 
before them nearly distracted them. 
There was such a choice between blue eyes 
and black, brown hair and golden. Then, 
too, it was not every doll that had a pretty 
face, or there might be two whose claims 
to beauty were equally great, but at last 


TO BOSTON 


193 


the nine dolls of different types were 
picked out. To these Mrs. Ramsey added 
three more on her own account, and that 
purchase was declared to be satisfactorily 
made. 

Each little girl had decided to spend 
but half her money on dolls, though as 
Dorothy had but fifty cents to spend, her 
dolls did not make as much show as she 
would have liked, but the others com- 
forted her by saying that the small dolls 
were just as pretty as the large ones, 
and would probably be sold at once. 

‘‘I almost wdsh I had bought two little 
ones and two big ones,” Edna said, ‘‘but 
I suppose it is too late now.” 

“If you had done that,” said Jennie, 
“you couldn’t have had the three shades 
of hair, and you did like those three so 
much.” 

“That is so,” returned Edna, “I reckon 
I will let it go, but I don’t see how I am 


194 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


going to give up any of them; they are 
all so pretty. I do love dolls. ’ ’ 

‘‘They are perfectly sweet,” agreed 
Dorothy, “while Jennie’s are even 
lovelier.” 

“They are bigger,” said Edna, “but I 
don’t think they are really any prettier, 
but Mrs. Eamsey’s are perfectly magnifi- 
cent. I wish I had Celia to help me dress 
mine; she does know how to make such 
pretty things.” 

“So does Agnes, but I tell you who will 
help us out, and that is Miss Eloise.” 
Dorothy thought of this. 

“So she will, though I expect she and 
Miss Newman will be busy making things 
themselves, for the bazar,” replied Edna. 

“But she can give us hints,” Dorothy 
continued. “Oh, Edna, do you know I 
have thought of something.” 

“What?” 

“Why, we can write to our sisters and 


TO BOSTON 


195 


tell them about the bazar, and maybe they 
can make some things for it. We will 
ask them to. I know Agnes will.’’ 

^‘And I know Celia will. That is a 
lovely idea, but do you know, Dorothy, I 
have thought of something else that isn’t 
a bit nice, and that is we won’t have a 
penny to spend at the bazar ourselves.” 

^^That is so. I never thought of it be- 
fore. I shall hate to go and not buy a 
single thing, but it can’t be helped and 
if we give the things we are getting to- 
day it will be the same as buying things.” 

This view of the matter satisfied Edna, 
and they followed Mrs. Eamsey and Jen- 
nie, who were walking ahead, into the next 
shop where they were to get ribbons, gilt 
paint and a variety of things. 

By one o’clock they were quite tired 
out and were glad when Mrs. Eamsey pro- 
posed that they have some lunch before 
doing any more. So they were taken to 


196 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL^S HOLIDAYS 


a pleasant restaurant and ate with a relish 
the broiled steak, fried potatoes and salad 
which Mrs. Eamsey ordered. Then each 
chose her own dessert, Dorothy taking a 
chocolate eclair, Edna peach ice-cream 
and Jennie charlotte russe. 

Then they started out again, and with 
Mrs. Eamsey’s help managed to spend 
every penny to the best advantage, and 
that quite early in the afternoon, but they 
were tired enough to be ready to go when 
Mrs. Eamsey said they could get the four 
o’clock train. ^^Some day,” she said 
^‘we must come down on a pleasure trip. 
We will have the motor-car, and can stay 
all night in town so you little girls can 
see something of the city. There is much 
that will interest you.” 

‘^Oh, do take them to see the glass 
flowers at Cambridge,” cried Jennie. 

^Wes, they shall see those, and we will 
go to old North Church which is made 


TO BOSTON 


197 


famous by Paul Revere ride, and they 
shall see Lexington.’’ 

^^Oh, yes, and mother, they must go to 
Concord where Louisa Alcott lived.” 

^‘That is a large order, as Ben would 
say, but I think we can manage it even if 
we have to stay two nights.” 

^‘Aren’t we having the loveliest time^’ 
whispered Edna to Dorothy. 

Dorothy nodded, and took a peep at the 
three dolls which she had insisted. ipDon 
carrying herself. The others were to be 
sent. 

wish I had kept out one of mine,” 
said Edna enviously; ‘4t would be so nice 
to have it on the train to play with.” 

can’t play with all three,” said 
Dorothy generously, ^^so I can lend one 
to you and one to Jennie.” 

This was a tine plan, and the three little 
girls crowded into one seat on the train 
that they might have the satisfaction of 


198 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


playing with the little dolls which they 
dressed up in handkerchiefs. Such a good 
time they had over them that Mrs. Ramsey 
had to call them twice when they reached 
their station. Then they hurried out, 
nearly tumbling over one another lest 
they be left in the train. 

Mrs. Ramsey had telephoned Mack to 
meet them, so the three little dolls had 
their first ride in a motor-car and were 
the first of their company to arrive at the 
sea-shore. The children were so eager to 
get them dressed that they could scarcely 
wait for Mrs. Ramsey to get out her 
pieces. ‘‘Do, Mother, let us have them 
right away,” begged Jennie. 

“Don’t you think you’d better wait till 
to-morrow when the other dolls will have 
come?” 

“Oh, no, there is lots of daylight left, 
and we can help Dorothy dress these and 
then she can help us dress ours ; it will be 


TO BOSTON 


199 


ever so mucli nicer that way. We are go- 
ing to take them out on the porch and 
sew there.’’ 

^‘But, dearie, I think I ought to be with 
you, because these dolls for the bazar 
should be dressed very neatly, and not 
botchily as they might be if you were do- 
ing them merely for yourselves.” 

Indeed, indeed we will try to be very 
neat.” 

‘ ^ Can you cut out the things yourselves ^ 
To-morrow I thought I would let Emma 
help. She could do some of the work on 
the machine.” 

^‘But these littlest dolls don’t need a 
machine. It will be lovely to have Emma 
help with the bigger ones. Edna can cut 
out real nicely. Her Aunt Elizabeth 
taught her how to sew, and she is as neat, 
oh, just as neat as can be. I wish you 
could see.” 

^‘Very well, go along, then. I don’t 


200 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


suppose it will do any harm since you are 
so very eager, and if I find they don’t 
look well enough I can see to it after- 
ward.” 

Jennie scouted the idea of their not 
looking well enough and bore off the bag 
of pieces in triumph, and a happy trio 
was soon established on the porch, work- 
bags in evidence and dolls carefully placed 
out of danger. Edna, who had been 
taught by her Aunt Elizabeth Horner to 
be very systematic, proposed that they 
first select their materials. ^^This white 
stuff will do for the underclothes,” she 
told the others. ^HTl put that aside and 
then you each choose what you want for 
frocks. Dorothy must choose first be- 
cause they are her dolls.” 

^^Then you choose second because you 
are company,” said Jennie.' 

We ’ll take turns, then,” said Edna. 
^Wou can choose first when it comes to 


TO BOSTON 


201 


your dolls and Dorothy can be second, 
then when it comes to mine I will choose 
first, you can be second and Dorothy can 
be third.” This was considered a very 
just arrangement and Dorothy began to 
turn over the pieces for her first choice. 

think I should like this pretty piece 
of blue silky stuff,” she said, ^‘and I will 
dress the doll with the middle colored 
hair; I think it will be becoming to her.” 

‘‘Then I will take this little speckly 
piece for the doll with the lightest hair. 
She can have a pink sash and will look 
too sweet.” 

J ennie decided upon a thin bit of yellow 
for her doll of decidedly brunette type and 
they set to work. 

“I can cut out for mine and then you 
two can cut yours exactly the same,” 
Edna told them, “for the dolls are all the 
same size and it will be very easy.” But 
the cutting out had scarcely begun before 


202 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


it was time for dinner and the dolls had to 
be put away till later in the evening when 
all should gather around the big table in 
the living-room. 

However, after dinner it was found that 
the larger package had arrived, so of 
course this had to be opened, and what with 
talking over this and admiring that, it was 
bed-time before anyone knew it. But the 
dolls were all carried upstairs and were 
set a-row where the children could see 
them first thing in the morning. The bag 
of. pieces was lugged along, too. ‘‘For 
we might want to get up early and work 
before breakfast,” said Jennie with in- 
dustrious intent. 

But the breakfast hour arrived before 
the children were out of bed, so tired were 
they from their trip, and the row of star- 
ing dolls was given little attention in the 
haste to get dressed. After breakfast 
the piece bag was dragged out again. 


TO BOSTON 


203 


Emma’s work was taken by one of the 
other servants and the morning long hands 
and tongues were busy, so that by lunch- 
time the three little dolls appeared nicely 
clad, and one of Edna’s and one of J ennie’s 
were nearly ready. To dress nine chil- 
dren was quite a task even for three little 
girls, especially as the children increased 
in size as the work progressed and though 
a skirt for a doll six inches long required 
but few stitches, when it came to one twice 
the size the fingers grew very tired. 

‘^Suppose you don’t do any more doll 
clothes to-day,” said Mrs. Ramsey notic- 
ing the weary sighs. ^‘You have done a 
fine morning’s work, and to-morrow you 
can start in again. I think this afternoon 
you’d better take the pony and do some 
errands for me, and I will make a fair 
exchange by helping you with the dolls 
to-morrow.” 

This was such a sensible and just ar- 


204 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


rangement that the little girls readily 
agreed and started off in high spirits to 
leave an order here, take a note there, and 
finally to wind up with a call upon Miss 
Eloise, who, they knew, would be inter- 
ested to know about their trip to the 
city. 

was just thinking about you chil- 
dren,’’ said Miss Eloise from the little 
porch of the bungalow, where she was sit- 
ing when they drove up. am going to 
have a sewing-bee to make things for the 
bazar, you laiow, and I want you all to 
come.” 

‘‘Oh, lovely,” cried they. “Tell us 
about it. Miss Eloise.” 

“Day after to-morrow, it is to be, and 
those that have dolls to dress can bring 
them, or you can bring anything else, 
fancy work or anything. I can’t sew 
very long at a time, but I can try to en- 
tertain you and can come in strong Avith 


TO BOSTON 


205 


advice.” She laughed, and the girls 
crowded around her. 

^^Tell me about the trip to Boston,” she 
went on. ^‘How many dolls did you buy, 
and what else did you get ? Sister and I 
have thought of several nice things to do 
for the bazar, and ever so many of the 
young people are going to help. Eudolph 
is going to donate some photographs and 
will take orders for others; then some of 
the boys are going into the woods for tiny 
little cedar and pine trees which we are 
going to plant in pots. Mrs. Morrison’s 
sister has promised to make some paper- 
dolls — I remember the beautiful one she 
made for Louis to send you last year, 
Edna, — and, oh my, we are going to have 
a big time.” 

She stopped to take breath and the chil- 
dren began to tell of their trip to the city, 
of their purchases, and all the rest of it. 

‘‘If Ben were only here,” said Miss 


206 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


Eloise when they had finished their ac- 
count, ‘‘we might give the little play that 
the G. R. club gave at the close of the year, 
but we couldn’t do it without him.” 

“Besides,” said Jennie, “we are the 
only ones of the club who are here, and 
there wouldn’t be time to get it up.” 

“Why couldn’t we do it when we go 
back*?” suggested Edna. “We might sell 
tickets, you see, and get ever so many to 
come, for there were quantities of people 
who wanted to come last time, but we 
could invite only so many.” 

“Why, Edna, that is a great scheme,” 
cried Miss Eloise. “It would be very lit- 
tle trouble, for those who took part before, 
as they all have their costumes and would 
only have to look over their parts. Let’s 
tell sister.” She called Miss Newman 
from the house and it was agreed that such 
a plan might easily be carried out. 
“And,” said Miss Eloise, “it will be a 


TO BOSTON 


207 


true Golden Rule performance. Dear 
me, what wonderful things are happening 
all the time, now that I have come out of 
my shell.” 

This new idea was talked of all the way 
home and the children were so eager to 
tell Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey of it, that the 
little pony was urged on at his smartest 
pace. Of course Mrs. Ramsey was 
charmed at the new plan for raising funds 
for Cap ’n Si, and Edna felt much pleased 
that she had thought of it. ‘^Although,” 
she said when she was praised for her 
quick wit, might not have thought of 
it if Miss Eloise had not spoken of how 
nice it would be to have it here.” 

^^Then we’ll give Miss Eloise her share 
of credit,” said Mrs. Ramsey smiling at 
the child’s honesty. 

That evening was given to the winding 
of worsteds, the marking of designs, and 
the cutting out of various bits of card- 


208 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


board for certain fancy articles. Four 
more dolls were dressed the next morning 
by the help of Mrs. Ramsey and Emma, 
and in the afternoon there was the sew- 
ing-bee on the bungalow porch, and more 
plans were made for the bazar. Mrs. 
Ramsey was present and organized an 
idea party to meet at her house the next 
day. Everyone was to bring an idea to 
be carried out at the bazar and so the ball 
was kept rolling and the work for the en- 
tertainment went forward in a way that 
promised a very successful affair. Doro- 
thy and Edna did not fail to write home 
about the fire and the bazar and made 
their request for contributions of money 
or fancy articles. They watched eagerty 
for replies, and when these came in the 
shape of two letters apiece, they gave lit- 
tle squeals of delight, for both Mrs. Con- 
way and Mrs. Evans wrote and enclosed 
a dollar to be spent at the bazar. ^‘For,” 


TO BOSTON 


209 


said tlie mothers, ‘‘we know you have 
taken all your spending money for the 
dolls and things, and will not have any to 
spend.” 

“Now I am perfectly happy,” cried 
Edna. “Is yours a dollar, too, Dorrie?” 

“Yes, a whole dollar. And Edna I 
think I shall buy back one of my own 
dolls. I love the one in blue so much that 
I just can’t give her up.” 

“Maybe I will buy my dear one with 
the light hair,” returned Edna. “I don’t 
suppose a dollar would be enough to buy 
one of Mrs. Eamsey’s beauties, though I 
believe I would rather have one of those 
than anything in the world, even if I 
didn’t have a cent to spend on anything 
else.” 

“Oh, but I think it would be more fun 
to spend the money for different things, 
and not for just one.” 

“But when the one is a doll like that 


210 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


exquisite creature in evening dress, with 
the cunning fan and the sweet little lace 
handkerchief, I think I’d be perfectly 
satisfied not to have another thing.” 

‘^You mean the one with the golden 
hair? She is a darling but although I 
like her dress, I think I would rather have 
the dark-haired one.” 

^‘That is because you have golden hair 
yourself; you always want dark-haired 
dolls, I notice.” The two were sitting 
on the porch with Jennie just inside by 
the window busily working away at an 
embroidered centerpiece she was doing in 
outline. She did not join in the talk, but 
had long ago decided that her choice of 
the three handsome dolls would be the one 
with ruddy brown hair dressed in street 
costume with hat and feathers. 

Her father, in whose smoking-room she 
was sitting, looked up with a smile as 
Jennie arose to join her friends. Bless 


TO BOSTON 


211 


their dear little hearts,” he said to him- 
self. think they are about the sweet- 
est three it has ever been my lot to see, 
and my own girl is the dearest of them 
all, even if she isn’t quite the beauty 
Dorothy is.” 


CHAPTER X 


THE BAZAR 

So the days went by till the time came 
for the opening of the bazar. It was to 
be held in the little hall which served as a 
place of amusement for the community of 
summer visitors. Here concerts were 
given, dances took place, lecturers found 
a platform. On this occasion it was dec- 
orated with greens from the woods. Tea 
was served in a tent outside near a gypsy 
camp where pretended fortunes were told 
by a pretty girl with dark eyes, whose 
costume made one almost believe she 
really belonged to that wandering race. 
A bower of green in one corner of the hall 
sheltered the flower girls who offered all 
kinds of blooms, from a bunch of field 
212 


THE BAZAR 


213 


flowers to a bouquet of American Beauty 
roses. Another table showed such an 
array of cakes and candies as made one’s 
mouth water, while the articles of fancy 
work were so numerous that the children 
were afraid the half would not be sold. 
The dolls had a place of honor to them- 
selves, the three donated by Mrs. Ramsey 
occupying the most conspicuous place. 

Dorothy and Edna made their way to 
this table flrst of all, and Dorothy was 
prompt in exchanging a quarter for her 
little doll in blue. was so afraid it 
would be sold flrst thing,” she explained 
to Edna, ^‘and I still have seventy-flve • 
cents to spend on other things.” 

Edna was not so fortunate, for the doll 
of her choice was already sold, while the 
impossible one among Mrs. Ramsey’s trio, 
was far beyond her pocket-book. ‘^It is 
marked three dollars,” she whispered to 
Dorothy. So she put this out of her mind, 


214 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


and decided that she would first buy 
something to take home to her mother and 
sister and then, if there were enough left, 
she might get one of the little dolls. 

The room was beginning to be thronged 
with people, although the children had ar- 
rived early, and it was noticed that sales 
were being made rapidly. Everyone was 
eager to buy, though the cheaper articles 
went first, and Edna had some difficulty 
in getting something very pretty for the 
amount she could afford. However, Miss 
Newman came to her rescue. 

‘‘Here is a little girl,’’ she said to one 
of the ladies behind the table, “who has 
worked very hard for this bazar, and who 
wants something very nice to take home 
for her mother. What is the very pret- 
tiest thing you have for twenty-five 
cents?” 

“Why, let me see,” said the lady smil- 
ing down at Edna, and then casting her 


THE BAZAR 


215 


eye over the table, ‘‘there ought to be some 
of those nice little handkerchief cases. 
There were several on the table, but they 
went off like hot cakes. I will see if there 
are any more that haven’t been put out.” 
She rummaged around in the boxes at the 
back, and finally produced what she was 
looking for which pleased Edna greatly, 
and it was handed over to her. Next a 
pretty picture-frame was chosen for Celia 
and the most important purchases were 
made. 

Dorothy and Jennie were wandering 
around together, the doll in blue sitting 
up very stiffly where Dorothy carried it 
on her hand. Jennie’s father had given 
her two dollars to spend, and she had al- 
ready parted with most of it. The car- 
amels and panuchee were not to be re- 
sisted, and there were so many pretty 
things that one’s money did not last long. 
“I wish papa would come,” she remarked 


216 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


to her two friends. ‘‘I know he would 
buy something for me when he knows I 
can’t buy it for myself.” 

There he is now,” cried Edna as a tall 
man was seen making his way toward 
them. 

Jennie wedged her way between ranks 
of small boys who were consuming pea- 
nuts and pop-corn, and reached her 
father’s side. ‘^Oh, Papa,” she cried, ‘‘I 
am so glad you have come. There is such 
a lovely crochetted sacque over here that 
I want you to buy for me to give to Miss 
Eloise.” 

‘ ‘ For you to give to Miss Eloise ? Why 
shouldn’t I be giving things to Miss Some- 
body-or-other?” 

‘‘Because I think it would be nicer for 
me to. You can buy things for mother 
and me, if you want to.” 

“And for no one else?” 


THE BAZAR 


217 


‘‘Oh, yes, you can get anything you 
choose for Edna and Dorothy.’’ 

“Thanks for your kind permission. I 
think I know exactly what those young 
ladies would like. Let’s see about the 
worsted thingamabob first.” 

Jennie led the way to the fancy table 
where the pretty light sacque changed 
hands, and with it under her arm, J ennie 
followed her father across the room to 
where the array of dolls, considerably 
lessened in numbers, was displayed. Mr. 
Eamsey halted before the three which 
his wife had donated, and regarded them 
closely. “Are those what your mother 
contributed?” he asked Jennie. 

“Yes,” she told him, “and they are the 
very prettiest ones.” 

“So they are,” put in the lady in at- 
tendance, “but because they are the high- 
est priced they have not been sold yet. 


218 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


Don’t you want one for your little girl, 
Mr. Eamsey?” 

‘‘I want three for three little girls,” he 
said taking out a roll of bills. Where 
are Edna and Dorothy, Jennie?” 

^^Oh, they are over there at the candy 
table.” 

‘^See if you can get them to come over 
here. I can’t be seen carrying three dolls 
around with me.” 

Jennie wormed her way through the 
crowd with surprising agility and reached 
her two friends who had just bought five 
cents worth of panuchee apiece. ^‘Come 
over here,” she said breathlessly; ‘‘papa 
wants to speak to you.” Tall as he was 
Mr. Eamsey was easily discovered and the 
three little girls were not long in reaching 
him. 

‘ ‘ Here you are, ’ ’ he said. ‘ ‘ N ow, which 
one of you did I overhear expressing her 


THE BAZAR 


219 


admiration for this giddy creature in a ball 
dress r’ 

‘^Oh, did you hear?’’ asked Edna. 
think it must have been I who liked it so 
much.” 

Mr. Ramsey lifted down the doll and 
placed it in Edna’s^ arms. ^‘0!” she 
breathed rapturously, ‘^do you really mean 
she is mine? I don’t know how to thank 
you.” 

‘^Then don’t try,” replied Mr. Ramsey 
laughing. ^‘Now then, it seems to me I 
heard someone say that this one with the 
dark locks would be her choice. The voice 
sounded very much like Dorothy’s if I am 
not mistaken. How is that, Dorothy ? ’ ’ 

^‘Oh, I did say I liked that one best.” 

^^Then yours she is.” And Dorothy 
was made happy by receiving the dark- 
haired doll into her arms. 

‘‘How, Miss Jane,” continued Mr. Ram- 


220 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


sey, there’s but one left for you. Do 
you think you would like this smiling 
creature with the wonderful hat?” 

‘ ‘ Oh, Papa, of course I would. If I had 
had first choice I would have taken that 
one.” 

^^Then here you are, my lady Jane.” 
And the third doll was embraced by her 
new mamma. 

think you are the loveliest father ever 
was,” said Jennie. girls, isn’t it fine 
that we have all three? Do let’s find 
mamma and tell her.” Holding their 
dolls very carefully they made their way 
through the crowd to Mrs. Ramsey, who 
was serving as cashier at a little table near 
the door. ‘‘Oh, Mother,” cried Jennie, 
“do see our dolls. Papa bought us each 
one.” 

“Why it seems to me I recognize them 
as old friends,” said Mrs. Ramsey. 

“Aren’t you glad papa bought them?” 


THE BAZAR 


221 


‘‘lam very glad if you are, and I should 
judge by your looks that you are not ill- 
pleased.’^ 

“I would rather have mine than any- 
thing else in the whole room,” said Edna 
fervently. “I was so in love with this one 
in her party dress.” 

“And I did admire this dear child in 
her automobile coat and bonnet,” chimed 
in Dorothy. 

“And I am perfectly satisfied with 
mine,” said Jennie. “Mother, what shall 
we name them?” 

“Suppose you wait till we get back 
home. Just now I am pretty busy, as you 
may see.” 

“Amd have you taken in much money?” 

“Nearly two hundred dollars according 
to the last count.” 

“Oh, that is a great deal, isn’t it?” 

“Yes, it is really more than we hoped to 
get, and I am sure we shall have the full 


222 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


two hundred, if not more, though there is 
not much left except eatables.” 

The little girls walked away proudly 
carrying their dolls. ‘‘Have you spent all 
your money 1” Dorothy asked Jennie. 

“No, not quite. Have you ’ 

“Nearly all. I think I have only about 
ten cents. Have you any, Edna ? ’ ’ 

“A little. What are you going to buy 
with yours, J ennie ? ” 

“I haven’t decided, but I suppose some- 
thing to eat or some flowers, for nearly all 
the cheap things are gone except those. I 
don’t Avant my fortune told, do you?” 

“No, I would rather spend it at the fish- 
pond.” 

“Then let’s go there. I think that 
will be more fun than anything else.” 

The fish pond was out of doors and had 
been so greatly patronized that it was a 
very difficult matter to keep it stocked 
with fish of proper quality, and latterly 


THE BAZx\R 


223 


there had been frequent raids upon the 
candy stand for such things as might serve 
for fish. The three little girls standing in 
a row waiting their turn noticed a small 
chap holding fast to his smaller sister’s 
hand. Both were deeply interested at 
each draw from tfie pond, and watched 
eagerly as the small packages were opened. 
They were a quaint little pair, for the 
boy’s trousers were very long for his short 
legs and his shirt sleeves were correspond- 
ingly short for his arms. The little curly- 
headed girl wore a very stiffly starched, 
very short frock which stood out all 
around and showed her chubby knees and 
bare legs. She kept her eyes fixed with 
admiring awe upon the three dolls, and 
lost all interest in the fish-pond as soon as 
the three friends arrived upon the scene. 

^‘What did you get from the pond?” 
asked Jennie who was standing nearest 
the boy. 


224 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


“Didn’t get nawthinV’ he answered. 

^ ^ Oh, didn ’t you 1 Why not ? ’ ’ 

“Didn’t have no money.” 

“Oh, that was too bad. Did you spend 
it all before you knew there was a fish- 
pond?” 

‘ ‘ N aw. Didn ’t have none to spend. ’ ’ 

“Oh.” Jennie looked at the pair and 
then she looked at her two friends. Edna 
interpreted the look and nodded under- 
standingly, but Dorothy looked a little 
jDuzzled. The coast was now clear and 
Dorothy stepped up, but Edna gave her 
skirt a little twitch. “Wait,” she whis- 
pered. 

“What for?” 

Then Edna said something in a low tone 
and Dorothy turned to look at the little 
boy and his sister who had crow^ded near 
to watch. 

“Wouldn’t you like to try?” asked 
Jennie. 


THE BAZAR 


225 


’Course I would,” said the boy, but 
with no hope of such good luck. 

^‘All right,” said Jennie, laying down 
her nickel and handing him the pole. 

The boy shot her one look of delight and 
surprise and let his line drop into the 
pond. When he drew it out with a pack- 
age dangling from the hook, he turned to 
his little sister. ‘‘Come on, sis,” he said, 
“you and meTl open it together.” 

Curly-Head followed him with pleased 
expectancy, and when they opened the 
package to disclose several pieces of panu- 
chee, it was share and share alike. 

“That’s a nice generous boy,” whis- 
pered Jennie to her companions. “I 
know what I am going to do; I am 
going to let him spend the rest of my 
money.” 

“And I’ll let the little girl spend mine,” 
declared Edna. 

“Where do I come in?” asked Dorothy. 


226 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


be sure I have only ten cents and it 
wouldn’t go a great way. I wonder if 
there are any more children who haven’t 
had any money to spend.” 

don’t see how we can find out,” said 
Jennie, ^^for they might pretend if we 
asked. This little fellow told without our 
asking, you see.” 

^ ^ Oh, well, I know what I can do. I will 
buy him something to take home to his 
mother, and that will be just as good.” 

During this time the two children had 
been devouring the candy, and soon had 
finished the last piece. ‘^Do you want to 
fish in the pond?” Edna asked the little 
girl. 

^^Yeth,” she answered bashfully. 

^‘Then come on.” She was given the 
pole and with a rapturous giggle drew 
forth another package which proved to 
contain two little cakes, which soon fol- 
lowed the way of the candy. 


THE BAZAR 


227 


‘‘Now they must have some ice-cream,” 
decided Jennie. 

“You don’t suppose it will make them 
sick, do you?” said Dorothy. 

‘ ‘ Of course not. It hasn ’t made us sick, 
and why should it make them? We have 
eaten twice as much stuff as they have.” 

This silenced Dorothy, and the children 
were made happy by being served with two 
saucers of ice-cream which they ate sol- 
emnly, aware that they were being watched 
by their benefactors. 

When the last drop had vanished Jen- 
nie and Edna each took her last nickel and 
gave it to the children. “Now,” said 
they, “this is for you to spend anyway 
you like.” 

“And this,” said Dorothy, bringing 
forth her ten cents, “is for you to spend 
for your mother. Now don’t forget,” she 
charged the boy. “You understand it is 
to buy something for your mother.” 


228 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


He nodded, and without a word started 
at once for the fish-pond, the money 
clutched safely in one hand and the other 
holding the fat little fingers of his sister. 
Evidently there was no joy in life equal 
to fishing, in the eyes of this son of a 
fisherman. 

^‘Do you suppose he is going to spend it 
all at the fish-pond?” said Dorothy as she 
watched him trudge off. 

^^Oh, never mind if he does. No doubt 
his mother will be just as well pleased with 
what he brings from there as anything.” 

By this time the tables in the hall were 
swept of nearly everything salable, and 
the tea had given out in the tea-tent. 
Only a few persons remained, and these 
were making ready to go. As they passed 
the fish-pond, they saw that the lines were 
taken in and the young lady in charge was 
preparing to shut up shop. Ahead of 
them Young Fisherman and Curly-Head 


THE BAZAR 


229 


were toddling home, each clutching a 
parcel. 

‘‘I wonder what they have,” said Jen- 
nie. Let’s run after them and see.” 

They were not long in catching up with 
the toddlers. ^ ‘ What did you get ? ’ ’ asked 
J ennie. 

The boy slowly unwound a long piece of 
string from the package and brought to 
view a piece of soap. That’s for 
mother,” he said. 

^‘Thith ith for muvver, too,” said Cur- 
ley-Head holding out a small paper bag. 
Jennie opened it to find therein a roll of 
tape. 

The little girls tried to keep from laugh- 
ing, but hardly succeeded. ^ ^ You ’d better 
toddle home, ’ ’ said J ennie. ‘ ‘ The bazar is 
over.” 

The children did not stir, but watched 
their friends depart. When they were 
nearly out of hearing, came back to them 


230 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


these words: ‘^The ice-cream was awful 
good.’^ So did Young Fisherman make 
known his appreciation. Curly-Head 
echoed his words, but her little voice 
did not carry far enough for the girls to 
hear. 

Where have you been?’’ asked Mrs. 
Eamsey when they at last returned to the 
haU. 

We’ve been spending the last of our 
money, ’ ’ J ennie told her. ^ ^ Did you make 
two hundred dollars. Mother?” 

We think so, though it has not all been 
turned in yet. Your money seems to have 
lasted pretty well if you have just spent 
the last of it.” 

Jennie laughed, and then told about the 
funny pair with their piece of soap and 
roll of tape. But somehow it didn’t ap- 
pear so funny to her mother as she ex- 
pected it would, for instead of laughing 
she gathered the three children to her and 


THE BAZAR 


231 


kissed them all three, murmuring, ^‘You 
dears. 

When all the returns were made it was 
found that a little over the two hundred 
dollars had been taken in, and this was 
expected to be quite enough to buy furni- 
ture for the new house when it should be 
built. Cap’n Si was quite overcome, but 
had few words. It was not like his kind 
to express many thanks. The house was 
to be begun at once that it might be ready 
before cold weather. Enough had been 
subscribed for a beginning to be made, and 
several gentlemen had pledged themselves 
to see it through in case there should be a 
lack. 

The dolls returned in state to the house 
from which they had been taken, and the 
matter of names was much discussed. 
Finally Edna decided that she would name 
hers after Mrs. Eamsey and so her doll 
was called Virginia. Dorothy wavered 


232 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


between Edna and Jennie, but finally con- 
cluded the latter would be more in keeping 
with the occasion. J ennie was not long in 
making up her mind that Eloise should be 
the name of her doll. 

have always thought it such a lovely 
name,’’ she said, ^‘and Miss Eloise will be 
so pleased, I Imow,” as indeed she was. 

Mrs. Morrison and Louis had gone home 
just before the bazar came off, as they 
were to stop on the way to see Mrs. Morri- 
son’s sister, but Louis told Edna that his 
Uncle Justus had persuaded his mother to 
send him to boarding-school the next year, 
and strange to say he liked the idea, so it 
will be seen that Uncle Justus did have the 
talk he had in mind that evening of the 
sailing party. Edna was not allowed to 
go away without having the sail to Gosling 
Island, and this time there was no head- 
ache to interfere, but all went smoothly, 
and the sail home by moonlight was some- 


THE BAZAR 


233 


thing to be remembered. It was decided 
that the Ramseys should all go as far as 
Boston with the little girls when they were 
ready to go home, and that a stop of a 
couple of days should be made. Miss 
Newman and Miss Eloise closed the little 
bungalow, but hoped to return to it an- 
other year. 

“I never dreamed of such a wonderful 
summer,’’ Miss Eloise told her three little 
friends as they were taking that moon- 
light sail. ^‘To think that I, poor invalid 
I, should actually have earned some 
money, and am so much better that I may 
be able to earn more. Oh, my dears, you 
don’t know what it means to me to help 
sister who has sacrificed her life to me. I 
am going to tell you that she gave up her 
lover and all her dream of a happy home, 
such as other women have, because I must 
be her first care. I want you to know how 
dear and good she is, for I don’t think 


234 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


people always appreciate her. I have 
found that out since I have been more in 
the world and have seen more people.’’ 

This little group was to itself, Miss 
Eloise lying on a pile of rugs and the chil- 
dren around her. The others were in an- 
other part of the vessel. 

am glad you told us,” said Edna, 
^^for now we shall always remember how 
good she is, and we shall love her more 
than ever, but we can’t help loving you 
best. Miss Eloise.” 

^‘Oh, my dear, don’t say that. I don’t 
deserve half as much love as sister.” 

However this might be, it was a fact 
that no one could help loving Miss Eloise 
the best, though the little girls said to one 
another that night, ^‘We must try to be 
extra nice to Miss Newman next year, be- 
cause Miss Eloise wants us to.” 

It seemed quite as if it were time to go 
when the little bungalow was closed and 


THE BAZAR 


235 


the cottages, one after another, showed no 
sign of lights at night. There was a sound 
of hammers over on the point where the 
new house was going up for Cap ’n Si, and 
it was expected the family would move in 
by Christmas. The children wondered 
what kind of furniture would be bought 
with the two hundred dollars, but this they 
could not know till next year. However, 
Amelia told Jennie that her ma rather 
guessed they’d have a parlor organ if they 
didn’t have anything else, and Amelia was 
much set up in consequence. 

^‘Dear me,” said Mrs. Ramsey when she 
was told this, was afraid of that. It is 
just like these people. But what is one to 
do?” 

The days were growing shorter and Sep- 
tember was well on its way when the 
trunks were packed ready for the start for 
home. should feel dreadfully about 
your going if I didn’t expect to see you so 


236 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


soon,” said Jennie the night before her 
friends were to leave. 

^‘We have had the loveliest time,” 
Edna told her, ‘‘and we’re such intimate 
friends now that I am sure we shall never 
be anything else, even when we are very 
old.” 

But here Mrs. Eamsey appeared to say 
that if all three were to sleep in one bed, 
as they had begged to be allowed to do this 
last night, they must stop chattering and 
go to sleep. So there were only faint 
whispers for a little while after that and 
then these ceased. 


CHAPTER XI 


OLD NORTH CHURCH 

AM SO mixed up in my feelings,” said 
Edna in confidence to Dorothy when they 
were seated in the train. ^ H want awfully 
to see them all at home, but yet I hate to 
leave here.” 

“I feel exactly that way myself,” Doro- 
thy confessed. ^‘But even if we weren’t 
going to-day we couldn’t stay very long, 
for the house will be closed next week, and 
we shouldn’t want to stay there alone.” 

Edna admitted that this was true, and 
then J ennie came over to sit with them and 
they talked of the things they were to see 
and the places they were to go in the next 
two days. 

think we will go to the Old North 

237 


238 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


Church first,” said Mrs. Ramsey as they 
left the train. ‘ ^ We will send the baggage 
to the hotel, then we will not have to come 
over in this part of the city again.” 

^^Oh, what a funny place,” said Jennie, 
as they took their way through streets 
where queer-looking foreigners congre- 
gated. 

‘‘I think the people are funnier than the 
place,” remarked Edna. 

^‘They are mostly Polish or Russian 
Jews,” Mrs. Ramsey told her. ‘Mt is not 
the neighborhood it was in Paul Revere ’s 
day. Here is the old church. ’ ’ 

The children looked with awe and rever- 
ence at the ancient edifice, and, going in- 
side, were shown some of the Revolution- 
ary relics which were there on exhibition. 
Just as they were coming out they met a 
young man coming in. 

‘‘Hallo !” he cried in surprise. 

“Why, if it isn’t Ben,” cried Edna de- 


OLD NORTH CHURCH 


239 


liglitedly. ^^Why, Ben Barker how did 
you get here?” 

‘‘I might ask you the same question, ” he 
replied. 

^ ‘ We came by train. ’ ’ 

And I came by boat. I thought it was 
a shame to be so near this city and not stop 
off to see a few things, so I got my friends 
to let me off and left the yacht to go on to 
New York while I should stop here for a 
couple of days.” 

^^That is just what we are going to do.” 
Good! then maybe we can join forces.” 

^^That would suit me nicely,” put in 
Mrs. Eamsey. ‘^My husband will not be 
down till to-morrow evening in time to 
take the train for Fall River, and mean- 
time I have these three little girls on my 
hands and no man to look after us, so if 
you will come along to see about tickets 
and things I should be pleased.” 

So Ben fell into line to the great satis- 


240 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


faction of all. ‘‘Where were you going 
next?’’ he asked. 

“As long as it is such a pleasant day I 
thought we’d better make sure of Lexing- 
ton and Concord, and leave the places 
nearer at hand till to-morrow. Of course 
you will want to visit Harvard, and the 
children have talked of the glass flowers 
so much that they must see them. While 
you are visiting other points more inter- 
esting to you, w^e will look at the flowers.” 

“Then, ho, for Lexington! We must 
take a subway car, and seek the ‘rude 
bridge’ where ‘the embattled farmers 
stood to Are the shot heard ’round the 
world.’ ” 

The little girls did not quite understand 
this till Emerson’s poem was explained to 
them. 

“Oh, I do want to see the place where 
the British general said: ‘Disperse, ye 
rebels,’ ” cried Dorothy. 


OLD NORTH CHURCH 


241 


‘‘Tlien we’d better trot right along,” 
said Ben. ^^You and I will go ahead, 
Mrs. Ramsey, and lead the way.” 

But Jennie wanted to walk with her 
mother, too, and so the other two little 
girls dropped behind to pursue their way 
through the crooked streets where odd 
sights met their eyes; queer ly dressed 
women and children jostled them; at the 
doors of houses swarthy faces and strange 
forms appeared. The shop windows held 
many things the children had never seen 
before, and once or twice they stopped to 
see what these very unusual articles 
could be. 

‘‘Do look here, Edna,” said Dorothy as 
they were passing one particularly for- 
eign looking place. “I must see what 
those funny things are,” and she turned 
back, Edna following her. 

“We mustn’t stop,” said Edna, “for 
we might lose the others.” 


242 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


‘‘Oh, just for a second. They are right 
ahead and we can T miss them. ’ ’ But they 
could not decide what the funny things 
were and so went on. 

“Why, where are Ben and Mrs. Eam- 
sey,” said Edna in alarm. “I saw them a 
minute ago.’’ 

“They were right ahead of us when we 
stopped,” said Dorothy, hastening her 
steps. “They must have turned the 
corner.” 

They hurried along as fast as possible, 
turning the corner and looking around. 
But there was no sign of their friends, and 
after they had gone a short distance, 
“we’d better go back,” Dorothy said. 

They tried to retrace their steps, but it 
was a very crooked street with others 
leading from it, and in their bewilderment 
they took the wrong turning, so that in a 
few minutes they were hopelessly beyond 
any possibility of finding their compan- 


OLD NORTH CHURCH 


243 


ions. They looked at one another con- 
fronted by a problem. 

‘^What shall we do?” at last said Edna 
in a weak voice. 

With one consent they stood still and 
looked around as if hoping to see a famil- 
iar face, but here was a denser crowd of 
foreigners and only the dark eyes of Eus- 
sians and Poles met theirs. 

‘‘I don’t like it a bit here,” said Dorothy 
as a hideous old woman leered down at 
them. 

‘^Neither do I,” quavered Edna. 
think we’d better ask our way back to the 
church and start from there.” 

They accosted the first person they saw, 
who hapjoened to be a young girl, but at 
their question she shook her head. ^^No 
unnystan,” she replied. 

The next one questioned nodded and be- 
gan to jabber something in a foreign lan- 
guage, so it was the children’s turn to say, 


244 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


unnystan.” The next of whom they 
inquired the way spoke brokenly, but said 
he would put them on the right track, and 
under his guidance they managed to reach 
the church, and here they met a man in 
clerical dress who looked down at them 
with a smile. ^^Did you come to see the 
old church?’’ he asked. ‘‘I am going in, 
and perhaps you would like to come with 
me.” 

‘‘We have been here once this morn- 
ing,” Dorothy told him, “but we have lost 
our friends and don’t know which way to 
go.” 

“Where were they going?” 

“Why, I don’t know. I think to the 
subway.” 

“Oh, that is easy to find. I will call a 
policeman and he will take you along and 
show you.” He looked up and down the 
street and finally saw a policeman in the 


OLD NORTH CHURCH 


245 


distance, and he was coming toward 
them. 

u There he is,’’ said the man. ^‘Just 
wait till he comes up. I say, Mike,” he 
called to the policeman, ^^just show these 
little girls the way to the subway, won’t 
you? They have turned the wrong way 
and are out of their bearings.” He 
smiled down on the children, lifted his hat. 
and passed into the church, leaving the 
children with the policeman. 

Which way was you going?” asked the 
policeman pleasantly. 

‘^We were going to Lexington,” Edna 
told him. 

^‘Then I’ll go with you to the end of my 
beat and pass you along, so’s you’ll get on 
at the right place.” 

They walked quietly along wondering a 
little, as passers-by looked at them curi- 
ously, if it was supposed they were under 


246 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


arrest. They felt a good deal worried, but 
had a vague idea that the others would 
wait for them at the subway, wherever 
that might be. 

True to his word the policeman turned 
them over to another of his order when 
they had reached the end of his beat, and 
this one piloted them safely to the entrance 
of the subway. They had said so con- 
fidently that they were going to Lexington 
that neither man questioned, but that they 
knew the way once they had reached the 
proper station. 

They descended the steps with some mis- 
givings, for if Mrs. Ramsey and Ben were 
not there what was to be done next ? They 
had never been in the subway before for 
Mrs. Ramsey had wanted them to see the 
city streets when they had visited the city 
in the summer, and had taken a taxi-cab to 
go up town. Mr. Ramsey had done the 
same when they arrived on their journey 


OLD NORTH CHURCH 


247 


in his company. A most bewildering 
place they found this same subway to be, 
full of people rushing for trains, noisy 
from the whizzing of cars from out of 
cavernous dark places and departing into 
equally unknown darkness. It seemed 
terrible to the two little girls and they were 
on the verge of tears. Impossible to find 
anyone in such a place as this. Best to 
get out of it as speedily as they could. 
The roaring of passing trains was so con- 
fusing, the jostling of the crowd was so 
unpleasant that the children held fast to 
one another and hurried up the steps and 
into the open air. 

^ ^ Oh, dear, ’ ’ sighed Edna. 

‘^Oh, dear,” echoed Dorothy. Wasn’t 
it terrible? I felt as if I were having a 
dreadful nightmare.” 

‘‘I felt as if my head had been taken 
off and they were rolling it up and down 
the car tracks. ’ ’ This relieved the tension 


248 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


a little and they both laughed. ^‘Now 
what are we going to do?’’ said Dorothy. 

They stood on the sidewalk looking this 
way and that, uncertain what would be the 
best move. Presently a lady who had 
just come out of the subway station, 
paused and looked at them. ‘‘Have you 
lost anything, little girls?” she asked 
kindly. 

“We’ve lost our way and our friends,” 
Edna told her. 

“My, my, that is a great deal to lose. 
Where do you want to go?” 

“We were going to Lexington, but it 
was so awful down there,” Edna nodded 
toward the door through which they had 
just come, “and we wouldn’t go back for 
the world.” 

The lady smiled. “But what about 
your friends? Do they live in Lexing- 
ton?” 

“Oh, no, we are all staying at the 


OLD NORTH CHURCH 


249 


Parker House. We went to see the Old 
North Church, and we were going to Lex- 
ington and Concord, all of us, but some- 
how we got separated from them, and we 
couldn ’t find them anywhere. ’ ^ 

‘‘We knew they were coming to the sub- 
way, for Ben said so,’’ Dorothy chimed in, 
“and we thought we might find them there. 
A policeman showed us the way. ” 

“That was like looking for a needle in 
a haystack,” said the lady, “for you didn’t 
know which of the subway stations they 
meant, did you ? There are a great 
many, you know.” 

“We didn’t know, for we never went 
down there before. We thought the sub- 
way was just one station, like the one we 
came into from the shore.” 

“Oh, I see. Well, I am a stranger in 
town too, that is, I don’t live here, al- 
though I know Boston pretty well. I am 
staying at the Parker House, and as it 


250 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


isn^t so very far from here, I think your 
best plan will be to go to the Parker House 
with me and wait there. I am sure your 
friends will think that is what you would 
be likely to do, and will make inquiries 
there before starting up an alarm for 
you.’' 

‘^Oh, do you think they would do that? 
Do you mean they would ring bells or any- 
thing?” Dorothy asked with a vague idea 
of what might be done in the case of lost 
children. 

^‘They mightn’t ring bells,” said their 
friend with a smile, ‘‘but they would 
notify all the police stations.” 

Edna nodded. “That’s what papa did 
when I was lost. I wasn’t really lost, only 
I was afraid of the cattle and I went up 
the steps so fast I fell and Mrs. Porter 
lived there ; she was a friend of mine, you 
know. ’ ’ Dorothy had heard all about this 
adventure before, and their new friend 


OLD NORTH CHURCH 


251 


did not press inquiries. She felt sure the 
children would be anxiously looked for and 
that it was best to get them to their hotel 
as soon as could be. 

It gave the two little girls a great sense 
of security to enter the place from which 
they had departed that morning, and they 
were heartily glad to reach the building. 
They found out that their kind acquaint- 
ance was named Mrs. Cox, and that she 
was from Washington. She told the 
clerk, at the desk, that if Mrs. Ramsey or 
any of her party came in or telephoned 
inquiries, that they were to be told in- 
stantly the little girls were there. 

am always getting lost, it seems to 
me,” said Edna plaintively, ^^and yet I am 
never really lost, or I wasn’t before this 
time, only people will keep thinking I am. 
You know, Dorothy, I was perfectly safe 
at the bungalow when Louis thought I 
was lost, and I was perfectly safe at Mrs. 


252 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


Porter’s when papa and mainma thought 
I was lost.” 

^^And you are perfectly safe now w^hen 
Mrs. Eamsey thinks you are lost,” added 
Dorothy in a somewhat aggrieved tone. 
She felt a little conscience-stricken, know- 
ing she was to blame in this instance, for it 
was she who insisted upon stopping to 
look in at the shop window. 

They had not very long to wait, for 
from their place in the reception room, 
where Mrs. Cox told them it would be best 
to sit, they presently saw Ben hurr3dng 
along, a worried look on his face. The 
two children sprang out. ‘ ‘ Here we are, ’ ’ 
they cried. 

Ben rushed over and grabbed them 
both. ‘‘You young lunatics,” he ex- 
claimed, “don’t you know better than to 
get yourselves lost in a city like Boston?” 

“We didn’t mean to, Ben,” said Doro- 
thy meekly. 


OLD NORTH CHURCH 


253 


“You didn ’t mean to, ’ ’ mimicked Ben in 
a mocking voice. “Well, you have scared 
us nearly to death, if that is any consola- 
tion to you.” 

“Where are Mrs. Ramsey and Jennie?” 
asked Edna, fearing one or the other 
might be in hysterics, for Ben’s manner 
was anything but reassuring. 

“They are in a cab trying to follow you 
up. Mrs. Ramsey said she would go over 
the ground we had just left when we 
missed you, and in the meantime I was to 
come here, if by any chance you had sense 
enough to come straight back to the hotel.” 

The children looked at each other with 
rather abashed faces, for they had not had 
sense enough to do that, and might not 
have thought of it but for Mrs. Cox. 

“Before you give an account of your% 
selves,” Ben went on, “I must telephj^he 
to Mrs. Ramsey and relieve her mind. 
We agreed that I was to do that, and set- 


254 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


tied on a drug store where she would go 
to get any message I might have.” He 
rushed off, leaving the little girls feeling 
very guilty. After all that Mrs. Ramsey 
had done for them to give her so much un- 
easiness, struck them both as being very 
Leartless. 

wish that old window was in the bot- 
tom of the sea before I ever stopped to 
look in,” presently said Dorothy vindic- 
tively. 

Edna made no reply. She knew that it 
was not the fault of the window, but of 
their own curiosity and heedlessness. 
They should have kept directly behind 
their friends, she well knew. Her mother 
had told her times enough that it was 
cowardly to blame inanimate objects for 
things which we were to blame for our- 
selyes, and Aunt Elizabeth went further 
and said no one but a person without any 
wits would abuse a senseless thing for 


OLD NORTH CHURCH 


255 


what was his own thoughtlessness or care- 
lessness. 

But she was spared moralizing upon this 
to Dorothy, for Ben returned saying that 
Mrs. Eamsey would be liere in a few mo- 
ments and that the expedition to Lexing- 
ton and Concord would be given up foiK 
the day, as it was too late now to under- 
take so long a trip. He was quite grumpy 
about it and the little girls were most un- 
happy at being under his displeasure, for 
Ben was usually the sunniest of persons 
and rarely gave them a cross look. He did 
not stay to talk to them now, but went to 
the door to meet Mrs. Eamsey when she 
should return and the children sat one at 
either end of the sofa, silent and down- 
cast. 

Mrs. Cox had not waited for further 
developments once she had seen that her 
charges were safe, and had gone out again. 
After what was a long time to the two cul- 


256 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


prits they saw Mrs. Kamsey and Ben ap- 
proaching with Jennie. At sight of them 
Edna could no longer restrain her tears, 
but burst into a noiseless fit of weeping, 
and Dorothy, seeing this, began to do the 
same. 

This was too much for Ben. He was 
very fond of his little cousin and hated to 
see her cry. ‘‘Here, here,” he cried, 
“don’t do that. Why, Ande, you are safe 
now. What’s the use of crying when it’s 
all over?” He sat down beside her and 
began to wipe away the tears. “I say, 
Mrs. Eamsey,” he went on, looking up, “it 
is really my fault as much as theirs. In 
that thickly settled part of the city, among 
all those crooked streets, I ought to have 
kept a better lookout for these children, 
and we don’t know yet how it happened, 
anyhow. I haven’t even asked them. 
They may have been knocked down or any- 


OLD NORTH CHURCH 


257 


thing else may have happened for all we 
know.” 

The two felt that this was very generous 
of Ben, and their tears flowed less plenti- 
fully. Mrs. Ramsey drew up a chair and 
said in a pleasant, confidential tone, ^^Now 
tell us all about it. How did it happen?” 

The children faltered out an explanation 
in which the queer things in the shop- 
window, the hideous old woman, the man 
at the church and the subway all figured. 
Once or twice Mrs. Ramsey repressed a 
smile, though for the most part she lis- 
tened very soberly. At the close of the 
narrative she turned to Ben. ‘Ht is just 
as you said ; we ought to have kept better 
watch upon them. One of us should have 
walked with them instead of leaving them 
to follow alone.” 

Ben nodded. That’s just what I 
tliink. Now, chicks, dry your eyes. We 


258 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


are going to have an early luncli and go 
somewhere, to see the glass flowers, very 
likely.” 

‘‘Yes,” put in Jennie, “please don’t cry 
any more, girls. It makes me so miser- 
able to see you. I might have done the 
same thing if I had been with you.” 

Thus comforted, the girls dried their 
eyes and followed Jennie and Mrs. Ram- 
sey upstairs to bathe their faces and get 
ready for lunch. It was too bad to have 
lost a whole morning, but there could be 
a great deal crowded into an afternoon, 
and, by the time the glass flowers had been 
found, peace reigned and everyone was 
happy. 

There was a drive around the beautiful 
parkway that evening and a visit to the 
splendid library that night. “We shall 
have to leave Plymouth Rock till another 
year,” Mrs. Ramsey remarked as they set 
out for their trip the next morning. “I 


OLD NORTH CHURCH 


259 


think you will enjoy Lexington and Con- 
cord more than a rather longer journey 
by water as you have just come from the 
seashore. This time there was no delay 
and there was plenty of time to visit the 
old battle-field, to see the brown house 
where dear Louisa Alcott used to live, to 
hunt up Emerson’s home and the spot en- 
deared by memories of Hawthorne. Ben 
was intensely interested in it all and told 
the girls many things which made them 
understand much better what they were 
seeing. 

They must return in time to meet Mr. 
Ramsey at the Parker House, and to get 
ready for their journey home, but there 
was a chance to walk through the botan- 
ical gardens and the Commons, to look 
across at the gilded dome of the State 
House, and to see the church where the 
great Phillips Brooks had preached. 

It was hard to part with Jennie and 


260 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


her mother, but the thought of home and 
the dear ones there was too happy an an- 
ticipation to cause any tears to be shed, 
and the little girls went off with a memory 
of Boston marred only by that unfortu- 
nate shop window in the foreign quarter. 


CHAPTER XII 


HOME AGAIN 

^^Are you going all the way home with 
us Edna asked Ben as they left the boat 
at the wharf. 

^‘Yes, Mr. Ramsey thinks he should 
stay in New York for the day, and has 
handed you over to my tender mercies, 
so if we can get a good train you will be 
at home in a very few hours.’’ 

^‘Now that we are so near I’m just 
crazy to get there,” said Dorothy. ‘^Will 
they know exactly when we are coming, 
Ben?” 

‘‘We can easily let them know either by 
telephone or telegraph.” 

“I think I’d rather surprise them, 
wouldn’t you, Edna?” 

261 


262 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


won’t be such a big surprise, for 
mother knows we are coming some time 
to-day.” 

‘‘Then there is no use in sending word 
ahead,” decided Dorothy. “They will be 
looking for us anysvay.” 

Just here Mr. Ramsey came up. 
“Well, young ladies,” he said, “so you are 
going to leave me. I think this young 
man can be trusted to take care of you the 
rest of the way, and I hope as soon as Jen- 
nie gets back you will come in to see her. 
We have all enjoyed having you with us, 
and I hope you will feel perfectly at home 
in our house always.” 

The little girls thanked him and said 
they had had a very happy time and 
wouldn’t he tell Jennie to come out to see 
them as soon as she returned. So they 
parted, and then there was the rush of get- 
ting to the train and the pleasant sense of 
knowing this was the last stage of their 


HOME AGAIN 


263 


journey. Ben whiled away the time by 
asking them ridiculous conundrums which 
made them so hilarious that more than 
one fellow traveller smiled in sympathy 
with their merry laughs. 

The more absurd the conundrums the 
better the children liked them, and those 
that Ben made up as they went along 
pleased them best of all. ^^When is a 
fence not a fence?” asked Ben and the an- 
swer was, ^^when it’s an advertisement.” 

What would you do if company came and 
there were no more tea in the teapot ? ’ ’ was 
the next question. 

^‘I’d send out for more tea,” responded 
Dorothy. 

^^What would you do, Ande?” 

^ ^ I don ’t know. What would you ? ’ ’ 

^^I’d add hot water and serve just as the 
sign tells you to do.” 

^'But that means for soup.” 

^^Well, but it answers just as well for 


264 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL^S HOLIDAYS 


tea. Now, here is another one for you. 
Suppose you couldn’t get tea, what would 
you do?” 

‘^I’d go without.” 

wouldn’t; I’d use Horlick’s malted 
milk.” 

‘^Oh, that is the sign just over there, 
isn’t it? Too late, Dorothy, we’ve passed 
it.” 

^‘Make up another, Ben,” urged Doro- 
thy. 

^‘Well, here goes. If I wanted to be 
sure of an intellectual meal, what would I 
do?” 

They guessed several things, but Ben 
shook his head at each answer. ^‘I think 
it is a very hard one,” declared Edna. 
‘^Intellectual is a hard word anyhow. 
You will have to tell us, Ben.” 

“Give it up?” 

“Yes, I do; don’t you, Dorrie?” 

“Yes, it is too hard for me.” 


HOME AGAIN 


265 


“Then this is the answer: I’d put my 
roasts through a course of Browning. I 
think that’s pretty good myself. I shall 
have to salt it down to ask your elders. 
I’ll give you an easy one now. Why do 
they call the man who drives the locomo- 
tive an engineer?” 

Edna finally guessed this. “Because 
he is near the engine,” she said. 

“Good girl; go up head,” cried Ben. 
“You seem to be improving. Now each 
of you try to make up a limerick and I’ll 
do the same.” 

“Oh, we can’t do that,” objected Doro- 
thy. 

“Yes, you can if you try. I will give 
you a model. 

There was a young person named Dorrie 
Who said to her comrade, ‘I’m sorry 
I came on the train, 

But I’ll do it again 

When Ben isn’t with us to worry.’ ” 


266 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


The girls laughed at this and set them- 
selves to work to produce something of the 
same kind. After many attempts Edna 
gave this : 

“There was a young man named Benny 
Who said, ‘Please give me a penny. 

Some peanuts I’ll buy 
All nice and dry,’ 

But he didn’t give us children any.” 

‘‘That’s not bad at all,” said Ben laugh- 
ing. “Did you mean that for a hint, and 
do you think I’d buy peanuts and keep 
them all to myself?” 

“Oh, no.” Edna was shocked that he 
should think she really intended a hint. 
“I just had to make up something and that 
was the best I could do.” 

“Oh, dear, I can’t get my last line,” 
complained Dorothy. “I’ve tried and 
tried and I can’t find a rhyme for Barker 
and Parker. This is as far as I can 
get: 


HOME AGAIN 


267 


There was a young man named Barker 
Who stayed at the Hotel Parker 
And ate lots of rolls 
And drank from the bowls — 

I had to say bowls to make it rhyme, 
though I really meant cups, and there I 
am stuck.” 

Here Ben came to her rescue. 

‘‘And drank from the bowls 
Until his complexion grew darker/^ 

he added to the amusement of the girls. 

They kept up the limericks for some 
time, though Dorothy found it such hard 
work that she finally refused to try any 
more, and Ben looking at his watch de- 
cided it was time to go into the dining-car 
for dinner. This was a new experience 
and made a pleasant break in the monot- 
ony of the journey. By the time the meal 
was finished they were so near their own 
station that the rest of the way seemed 


268 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


nothing at all. At the station they had to 
change cars or else make the trip by the 
trolley. 

Which shall we do'?’’ asked Ben. 

“Which will get us there first?” asked 
Edna. 

“Let me see.” Ben pulled out a time- 
table. “There will be a train in half an 
hour. It is a pretty good one, and I think 
will get us there about five minutes ahead 
of the trolley. It’s a choice between sit- 
ting in the station or going ahead on the 
trolley.” 

“Which would you rather do?” Doro- 
thy asked him. 

“I think perhaps the train will be better 
on account of the baggage which can go 
right through with us.” So they sat 
down to wait till their train should be 
called and found enough to amuse them in 
watching the people go and come. 

“It does look so natural,” remarked 


HOME AGAIN 


269 


Dorothy, when the train began to move. 

Just think, Edna, in a few days we shall 
be starting to school again, and be coming 
this way every day.” 

‘‘And we shall be seeing Uncle Justus 
and Aunt Elizabeth and all the girls. I 
wonder if we shall have as good times at 
the G. E. Club as we did last year. We 
must go to see Margaret and Nettie very 
soon, Dorothy, for we shall have such 
heaps to tell them.” 

“We shall want to tell our own families 
first.” 

“Oh, of course. I wonder if Uncle 
J ustus is still with the others on the yacht. 
I never thought to ask Ben.” She leaned 
over to speak to her cousin who was sit- 
ting directly in front and learned that 
Mr. Horner had left the yacht at Port- 
land and had come home by rail from that 
city. 

“The old chap had a good time while he 


270 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


was with us,” Ben told her, ‘^and I think 
it limbered him up a lot.” 

‘^Why, was he stiff from rheumatism 
like Cap’n Si?” asked Edna innocently. 

Ben laughed. ‘‘No, he was stiff from 
eating too many ramrods.” 

Edna knew this wasn’t true, but she 
didn’t ask any more questions just then. 
The train was nearing the familiar station 
where they were to get off. She won- 
dered if Celia and the boys, or Celia and 
Agnes would be there to meet them. She 
thought it very likely, as the family 
must know they would arrive about this 
time. 

But as the train moved off there was no 
sign of any of their friends. “They 
didn’t come after all,” said Edna to Dor- 
othy. “I wonder if they know Ben is 
with us?” 

“Why, how could they know. Did you 
tell them on the post-card you wrote from 


HOME AGAIN 


271 


Boston, or the one you sent Celia from 
Concord?” 

^ ‘ No. Did you say anything about it ? ” 

^^Not a word.” 

^^Then that will be a sort of surprise, 
for even if they expect us they won’t ex- 
pect Ben.” 

It was not a very long walk from the sta- 
tion to the home of either little girl, though 
it had appeared long enough to Edna one 
evening the winter before when she had 
been caught in a snow-storm. 

won’t stop,” said Dorothy, when 
they had reached Edna’s gate. can 
scarcely wait to see mother.” 

feel just that way,” said Edna. 
^‘Will you come over this evening?” 

Maybe. I can’t promise, for I shall 
hate to leave them all. You come over.” 

^‘But I shan’t want to leave them all 
either. I reckon we’d better wait till to- 


morrow. 


272 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


^‘All right. Good-bye till then.’’ And 
Dorothy started oft at a run while Edna 
and Ben turned in at the gate. 

How quiet it seemed! No one was on 
the porch, and the sound of their voices 
did not bring anyone down from upstairs. 

wonder where they all are. I’ll go up 
very softly and s ’prise them,” whispered 
Edna to Ben, ^^and in a little while you 
come up and have another s ’prise.” Ben 
nodded understandingly and Edna crept 
softly up the stairs. There was no sound 
of voices anywhere. ^‘They must all be 
asleep,” the child murmured, but as it was 
just about lunch time, that seemed to be 
rather an imusual state of things. She 
went from room to room. Not a soul was 
to be seen. 

^^That is the funniest thing,” said Edna 
disappointedly. wonder where in the 
world everybody can be. Surely they 
could not be hiding,” but to make sure she 


HOME AGAIN 


273 


looked in closets and even under the beds, 
then she went slowly downstairs to 
Ben. 

There isn’t a soul anywhere,” she told 
him. ‘^Oh, Ben, I am so dreadfully dis- 
appointed. What do you suppose has be- 
come of everybody?” 

‘‘Can’t say, my dear. Have you inter- 
viewed the cook? I thought I heard 
sounds of life in the kitchen.” 

“Why, of course I can ask her. I 
never thought of that.” She flew to the 
kitchen. ‘ ‘ Oh, Lizzie, ’ ’ she cried, ‘ ‘ where 
is everybody?” 

“Saints above!” cried Lizzie, “and 
Avhere did ye come from all of a suddint 
like this?” 

“Why, we came out on the train!” 

“Not by yerself ?” 

“No, Dorothy and Cousin Ben came 
with me.” 

“Hear to that now. And didn’t ye see 


274 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


the mother nor none of thim that’s gone 
to meet ye?” 

Why, no ! When did they go to meet 
us?” 

‘‘This morning. Sure it was your 
mother that said, ‘Thim children will be 
gettin’ in fair and airly and I’ll just be 
goin’ in to Misther Eamsey’s office and 
meet thim when they git there and bring 
thim right along with me.’ Thin Miss 
Ceely speaks up and says, ‘I’ll be goin’, 
too.’ ” 

“But we didn’t go to Mr. Eamsey’s of- 
fice. We left him in New York and 
Cousin Ben Barker brought us on from 
there.” 

“Did ye ever hear the likes of that now? 
She’ll be as disappinted as yerself when 
she gets there and doesn’t find ye.” 

“Where are the boys?” 

“They’re offi too. When they learns 
that their mother was going to town they 


HOME AGAIN 


275 


says we’ll go to one of the neighbors, I dis- 
remember which one it was, but they says 
they won’t be back to lunch, bein’ as they 
don’t like to ate without the ithers. Have 
ye had any lunch yerself, child?” 

^‘No, and neither has Cousin Ben.” 

^^Then, jest you kape quiet and I’ll have 
ye a bite in three shakes. Eun along in 
and tell Mr. Barker not to be oneasy, that 
he shall have something right away.” 

Edna returned to Ben with her tale of 
cross purposes. ‘ ‘ Do you suppose mother 
will be worried when she gets to Mr. Eam- 
sey’s office and finds we haven’t come?” 

‘Ht is possible she might be. I reckon 
I’d better telephone in and tell them that 
we have arrived and if Mrs. Conway comes 
to tell her we are here. I’ll call up your 
father, too.” 

‘‘Oh, that will be the very best thing to 
do.” 

But Ben learned that Mrs. Conway had 


276 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


been to Mr. Eamsey’s office, and not find- 
ing her daughter had gone at once to her 
husband’s office. From this latfer point 
it was learned that Mr. and Mrs. Conway 
and their daughter had just gone out to 
lunch. ^ ^ Haven ’t been gone five minutes, ’ ’ 
Ben was told. ‘‘Say to Mr. Conway when 
he comes in that his daughter Edna is at 
home,” said Ben and then he hung up the 
receiver. “Can’t get anyone of them,” 
he told Edna, “but your father will hear 
where you are as soon as he gets back. In 
the meantime we’ll have to make the best 
of it.” 

They made the best of it by eating the 
very good lunch which Lizzie prepared, 
and then Edna’s trunk having arrived she 
set to work to unpack it, being glad to re- 
lease Virginia from her long confinement. 
Next it seemed a good plan to hunt up her 
old dolls and introduce them to this lovely 
new sister. 




“Can’t Get Any of Them,” He Told Edna 






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HOME AGAIN 


277 


Ben, who had grown tired of waiting 
for his aunt and cousin, strolled to the 
house of one of his friends, and after Edna 
had seen that all her children were in good 
condition, she seated herself at one of the 
front windows to watch for her mother. 
It seemed very funny that it should be she 
who was watching for someone to come in- 
stead of someone watching for her. She 
would not go to Dorothy’s for fear she 
should miss her mother and sister, and 
likewise for the reason that she felt it 
would be a very flat report she would have 
to make to Dorothy of her home-coming. 

She sat for what seemed a long time, but 
at last her patience was rewarded by see- 
ing a group of four coming up the road, 
and as they drew near she saw that it was 
not only her own mother and sister, but 
Dorothy’s likewise who had gone to town 
to meet the travelers. 

She could hardly wait to get down- 


278 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


stairs, and she heard Celia’s surprised 
voice say, Why there she is now,” and in 
another minute she was in her mother’s 
arms. 

‘^Why, you little rogue,” cried Mrs. 
Conway, when the hugging and kissing 
had ceased. ‘ Wou have certainly stolen a 
march on us all. How did you get here ?” 

^Hs Dorothy with you?” asked Mrs. 
Evans anxiously. 

^‘She isn’t here with me, but she is at 
home,” Edna made reply. 

^‘Oh, then, we must hurry along,” said 
Mrs. Evans, and without waiting to hear 
more particulars she and her daughter 
Agnes hastened away. 

Then Mrs. Conway sat down and gath- 
ered Edna to her. ‘Ht is so nice to have 
my baby again,” she said. don’t be- 
lieve I can ever consent to let her stay so 
long away another time. Now tell me all 
about it. How did you happen to get here 


HOME AGAIN 


279 


so early and why didn ’t I find you at Mr. 
Eamsey’s office as I expected*?” 

^^Did you you expect to find us there?” 

^^Why, certainly, Mrs. Eanisey wrote 
that you would come back with her hus- 
band, and that you would arrive at about 
noon, so naturally I didn’t expect Mr. 
Ramsey to bring you all the way out here, 
besides his clerks told me that he had not 
returned, but had telephoned from New 
York that he would arrive this evening. 
So of course I thought you would not get 
here till then.” 

^^And were you disappointed?” 

^^Oh, I was indeed; but you haven’t told 
me how you did get here.” 

^^Ben brought us.” 

^ ‘ Ben ? Where is he ? ” 

‘^Oh, he was around a little while ago, 
but I reckon he got tired of waiting and 
went off somewhere ; he will be back after 
awhile.” 


280 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL’S HOLIDAYS 


“But I don’t understand yet. Where 
did you come across Ben?” 

“In Boston at the Old North Church; 
he was going in just as we were going out, 
and he stayed with us the rest of the time 
and we all came on together; then when 
Mr. Eamsey found that Ben could come 
with us he said he thought he might as well 
stay in New York and attend to some bus- 
iness and let us come on. Ben was going 
to telephone or telegraph you from the sta- 
tion, but it was just as well he didn’t.” 

“It is all very clear now, and I can see 
that no one was to blame, for of course no 
one knew that we were going to meet you. ’ ’ 
“But, oh. Mother, it is so good to have 
you again,” said Edna, giving her mother 
another squeeze. ‘ ‘ I haven ’t kissed sister 
half enough either.” There was another 
season of hugging and kissing, and then all 
went upstairs that Edna might show her 
new doll and present the little gifts she 


HOME AGAIN 


281 


liad bought at the bazar. Then Ben 
came in and there were more explanations, 
and next the boys came rushing upstairs 
to give boisterous bearlike hugs and to tell 
Edna she looked ^‘fine as silk,” and so the 
hours went on till it was time for Mr. Con- 
way to come and that gave a new excite- 
ment and questioning and explaining. 

After all had been smoothed out Mr. 
Conway made the remark, saw Uncle 
Justus this afternoon. He came into the 
office to ask if Edna had arrived. He cer- 
tainly is fond of the child. ” 

Then Edna told of how Uncle Justus 
gave up the sailing party on her account 
and of how gentle and kind he was. 

^^Gee!” cried Charlie, should think 
you’d rather he would have gone.” For 
Uncle Justus had never shown the boys 
his gentler side and they stood in great 
awe of him, scuttling out of sight whenever 
they saw him coming. 




282 A DEAR LITTLE GIRL^S HOLIDAYS 

Everyone smiled at Charlie’s speech, but 
Edna said quite gravely, ‘‘I loved to have 
him stay. He took me in his lap and 
rocked me and we had a lovely time.” 

Charlie could scarcely believe this, but 
he said nothing and the talk went on to 
other things. Edna and Ben were the cen- 
ter of interest that evening, for when Edna 
was not telling something that went on at 
the Eamsey’s, Ben was relating some of 
his yachting experiences. He would leave 
for his own home the next day, but would 
return later to take up his studies at col- 
lege, and, as last year, to spend the winter 
with his aunt and cousins. 

It seemed warm and murky after the 
sharp breezes fresh from the sea, and 
Edna, for all her excitement, was ready for 
bed early. Just as she was going upstairs 
the telephone rang, and Celia answered. 
^‘Someone for you, Edna,” she said, and 
Edna went to the ’phone. 


HOME AGAIN 


283 


Hallo, Edna,” came Dorothy’s famil- 
iar voice. couldn’t go to sleep without 
saying good-night to you. I thought I 
could, but I couldn ’t. Are you all right ’ ’ 
‘ ^ Yes. Are you ? W asn ’t it funny that 
we didn’t find anyone home when we got 
here. Why didn’t you come over?” 

^‘Why didn’t you?” Then each heard 
a little giggle, for the same reason was in 
the mind of each. 

^‘Well, good-night. I kind of miss you, 
Edna,” came Dorothy’s final words. 

And I kind of miss you. Good-night. ’ ’ 
There was no sound of murmuring 
waves on the beach, no J ennie in the next 
room, and no Dorothy as bed-fellow, but 
instead there was the murmur of leaves 
making a pleasant song, there was Celia 
playing softly on the piano, and best of all 
there was mother very near; so Edna 
turned over with a sigh of content, g"* 
that she was in her own home. 






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